^.%1 




Glass. 



Book. 



MEMORY AND 
THE EXECUTIVE MIND 



MEMORY 

and the 

EXECUTIVE MIND 



IN THREE PARTS 



By 
ARTHUR RAYMOND ROBINSON 



1912 

M. A. DONOHUE & CO. 

CMcago 






Copyright, 1912 

by 
A. R, Robiaaon 






^., 



JSo Ms Motion 



CONTENTS 



PART I 
MEMORY AND ITS DEVELOPMENT 

Chapter Page 

I. Introductory 13 

II. The Mechanism 27 

III. Development of Additional Path- 

ways 43 

IV. Association, and Other Elements . 52 



PART II 

THE EXECUTIVE MIND 

I. What It Embraces, and How to Be- 
gin Its Cultivation 77 

II. Continuing the Training 94 

III. Some Positive Qualities of Mind . 109 

IV. Additional PIelps 140 

V. Enlisting the Co-operation of Men 156 

PART III 

THE LARGER SUCCESS 

I. Its Meaning, and Argument for Its 

Attainment 183 

II. Concluding the Discussion .... 203 



PREFACE 

In a decidedly varied experience, I have 
come in contact with many men of ster- 
ling character, who, however, would be 
tremendously more useful to themselves, 
to their loved ones, and to the world, if 
they but had a little more confidence in 
themselves and their ability to achieve. 

For the benefit of all such individuals, 
as well as for the benefit of any others 
who, for some reason or another, may be- 
lieve that mental cultivation is fraught 
with mystery, this book has been written. 
We hope sincerely that it may find some 
useful service to perform in the world. 

The book is conveniently divided into 
three parts: 

PART I. MEMORY AND ITS DE- 
VELOPMENT, as the subject indicates, 
deals exclusively with the memory and 
the best methods for its development. 



10 Preface 

PART II. THE EXECUTIVE 
MIND, discusses the executive mind in 
detail, and points out not only how it 
may be attained, but suggests as well, 
methods for its proper use after attain- 
ment. 

PART III. THE LARGER SUC- 
CESS, makes a strong plea in the interest 
of optimism, and the subject of the 
Larger, Nobler Success, is discussed at 
length. 

If this little volume may in some man- 
ner or another make life's pathway some- 
what more pleasant for any of its readers, 
I shall indeed be pleased. If it may- 
cause a ray of hope to find its way into the 
minds of some who now despond, I shall 
feel amply repaid for the efforts attend- 
ing its production. 

Akthur Raymond Robinson. 

May 25, 1912. 



PART I 

MEMORY AND 
ITS DEVELOPMENT 



CHAPTER I 

Introductory 

T?«^^«r^*.^. I^ is not too much to 
Foreword: 

say that an effective 

memory wields a greater influence in the 
successful development of a man^s career 
than any other agency. As the most 
convincing proof of this statement, the 
reader is referred to the lives of the most 
successful men of our times in all lines, 
science, finance, statesmanship, etc. Do 
you know a successful man who is not 
equipped with a good memory? Have 
you ever known such a man? The an- 
swer to these questions must be em- 
phatically '^NO/' because the very fact 
of success itself indicates the mastery of 
a tremendous number of subjects in gen- 
eral, or of a great many details of some 
one subject in particular; the abihty to 
have ready for instant use when occasion 



14 Memory and the Executive Mind 

demands, the knowledge of a great num- 
ber of facts acquired by past mental ex- 
periences, and not forgotten. 

The Statesman, charged with the great 
responsibihties of State, positively must 
have stored away somewhere in his 
mental labyrinth not only the knowledge 
of an almost untold number of facts 
gathered up from his own personal ex- 
periences, but also knowledge of a large 
additional number absorbed from close 
study of the experiences of others. 

The great man of the financial world 
must have completely in his mental grasp, 
an intimate knowledge of the thousand- 
fold intricacies of money science and 
economics. 

The Lawyer, pleading his case before 
the jury; the Merchant, building up 
a tremendous business, and foreseeing 
years in advance the needs of his mer- 
cantile house; the Physician, ihinistering 
patiently and successfully to the needs of 
his patient, whose life may thereby be 



Memory and Its Development 15 

prolonged yet a little while; the Salesman, 
successfully advocating his wares; the 
intelligent Farmer, handling admirably 
the myriad of things which must be ac- 
complished in his particular sphere; the 
Artist, the handicraftman, in short, every 
man who contributes to the world's prog- 
ress, POSITIVELY AND ABSOLUTE- 
LY MUST have so developed the pro- 
cess as to know how to act in a given 
emergency. 

Education has been defined as the ac- 
quirement of the ability to successfully 
meet an emergency v/hen it arises, and 
there is no doubt that this ingenious def- 
inition is sufficiently broad to include 
everything that could possibly be emi- 
braced in the term. If this is true, and it 
is, the man in this world who is the best 
educated, is the man who can combat the 
most obstacles successfully; the man who 
can properly meet the most emergencies. 
' Now ask yourself, is there any one 
thing that will assist one to accomplish 



16 Memory and the Executive Mind 

this particular result more than a good, 
clear, comprehensive memory? Is it not 
true that the man who is most successful 
is bound to be the man who can remember 
the most facts of experience in a given 
direction? Here again the question must 
be answered in the affirmative. We all 
observe enough, hear enough, and, in 
general, learn enough to assure us at 
least a fair measure of success in the 
world, if we could only remember what 
we learn! 

A tremendous weakness exists in our 
educational system, which lays so little 
stress on the training of memory as 
to almost ignore it. True, the youth of 
the land is stuffed with facts and figures 
and information of every useful kind, but 
in the great majority of cases, the informa- 
tion spills through the mental apparatus 
as through a sieve, and practically no at- 
tention is given to the process of stopping 
up the holes, to the end that what is so 
laboriously learned, may be contained in 



Memory and Its Development 17 

the mind to assist the learner in fighting 
life's battles. 

If this little advance word has con- 
vinced you that the greatest factor in a 
life's work is a well developed memory, it 
has served its purpose, and we can proceed 
with profit to the content proper of this 
volume. 

_„ . ,, ^ Memory involves the 

What IS Memory? ^^^^^^^^^ ^j ATTEN- 
TION, RECALL, and RECOGNITION. 

First must the individual attend to the 
thing at hand, which means that with 
the assistance of sensation, and mental 
concentration, the subject matter must 
be observed, noticed, attended to; then 
the RECALL enters, which means sim- 
ply, etymologically, to call back; in this 
instance, TO CALL BACK from the 
experiences of yesterday, and the fast 
receding past, facts suggested by the at- 
tention given the particular matter of 
today's interest. Now enters the process 
of RECOGNITION, which, etymologic- 



18 Memory and the Executive Mind 

ally, coming as it does from re-cognosco, 
to reknow, means to know again, and as a 
result of this latter process, we now REC- 
OGNISE that the knowledge of the fact 
RECALLED to mind is the result of to- 
day's ATTENTION ;is actuaUy knowledge 
of a fact that the mind of the individual 
has experienced at some former time. 
Memory, then, is the process of recognis- 
ing that something now present to con- 
sciousness has been there before. This 
is perhaps as good a psychological defini- 
tion of memory as can be given, and from 
it we see clearly that memory itseK is, 
from beginning to end, a mental process, 
and must therefore depend largely for its 
efficiency on a healthy mind. So much 
for the technical side of the subject. 
The definition profits us little, excepting 
that it gives us a point from which to 
start. 

The main purpose of this volume is not 
the 'Vhat/' but the '^how^'; not to discuss 
WHAT IS MEMORY? but rather to 



Memory and Its Development 19 

suggest HOW IT MAY BE MOST SUC- 
CESSFULLY AND EFFICIENTLY 
DEVELOPED, to the end that it may 
lend its full assistance to the individual 
in making for himself the greatest possible 
success in life. 

. ^ , ,^ From what has de- 

A Good Memory: ^^^^^^^ .^ ^^^ ^^^^^^ 

it is felt necessary to make a few sugges- 
tions under this head, in order that the 
reader may not be confused at the outset, 
and in the end receive no benefit from his 
reading. A good memory, contrary to 
the general belief, does not consist simply 
in having stored away in the mind a 
tremendous amount of miscellaneous in- 
formation. The man with the good mem- 
ory is the man who has trained his mind 
most thoroughly in the process of elimi- 
nating therefrom as much useless infor- 
mation as possible, in order that more 
room may be made for the acquisition of 
knowledge which can be acquired with 
practical benefit. 



20 Memory and the Executive Mind 

Therefore, the process of forgetting be- 
comes important, and to a great degree 
useful, but a man should so direct his life, 
and so develop his mind that it may be de- 
pended upon, automatically, as it were, 
through a sort of natural selection, to re- 
tain what is good, and forget what is bad; 
and it may be stated here now, that if 
given a half a chance, the mind will, on its 
own account, do that very thing and per- 
form the function admirably. 

The mind and the memory are con- 
stantly extending. The physical growth 
may cease somewhere in the 20's, but the 
individuaFs mind has the capacity to 
grow and develop throughout his life- 
time. No matter whether you wish it or 
not, certain facts will be retained in your 
memory, and certain facts will inevitably 
be forgotten. We shall show a little 
further on that it is within your power to 
direct your attention and your will in 
such manner that the great majority of 
forgotten experiences may represent use- 



Memory and Its Development 21 

less stuff which has been forgotten with 
more profit than injury, while at the same 
time a tremendous maximum of the ex- 
periences necessary to your well-being 
may be kept fresh in your memory, ready 
for instant use when any emergency re- 
quiring their particular assistance shall 
arise. 

Now, the individual who has learned to 
so direct his mental cultivation as to have 
become able to forget most of the useless, 
and remember the maximum amount of 
information possessing utility, is the man 
who has developed a good memory; there- 
fore, we repeat again, a good memory 
does not mean the retention of a particu- 
larly large number of miscellaneous factual 
impressions. It consists, rather, in hav- 
ing stored up in the mind, knowledge of 
the largest possible number of USE- 
FUL FACTS, all information not pos- 
sessing utility for the individual having 
been forgotten and cast out by the 
way. 



22 Memory and the Executive Mind 

, ^ , It should be stated at 
How to Begin: ^^^ ^^^^^^ ^j^^^ ^^^ 

possession of a good memory is intimately 
connected with will power. The old max- 
im, '^You can be what you will to be/' has 
become a commonplace, but it holds good 
with reference to memory training, posi- 
tively and absolutely. Therefore, a word 
on this subject is necessary. WILL YOU 
DECIDE IN YOUR OWN MIND TO 
ACQUIRE A STRONG, EFFECTIVE 
MEMORY? If you answer this question 
to yourself with a positive YES, then the 
attainment of your goal becomes only a 
matter of time. 

It is safe to say that every man who 
reads this book is ambitious for success, 
and is interested in the selection, or if it 
has already been selected, in the prose- 
cution of a life work that will yield him 
and his loved ones the comforts of life 
and the honors that go with a successful 
career. 

It is safe to say further, we think, that 



Memory and Its Development 23 

the great majority of our readers have al- 
ready made the selection, and are now, to 
the best of their ability, filling in the de- 
tails of their life plan. Just a word, then, 
to the few who have not yet made the se- 
lection, and then all that is said later will 
apply to everybody in like degree. It is 
assumed you are undecided as to what 
you should do. There are two or three, 
or possibly even more, plans of action on 
which your mind is divided. Now go 
at this thing systematically. Sit down 
and think. Think progressively. Take 
up the several plans seriatim^ and in reg- 
ular order. If you were employed for a 
day's work, for a specified wage, you 
would expect to begin the day's work 
promptly in the morning, and finish 
promptly in the evening. You would not 
do a thirtieth part next week, a fiftieth 
part the next, and so on; rather would 
you pursue the first plan suggested, and 
get it done with. Now surely an early 
start on a successful career is more im- 



24 Memory and the Executive Mind 

portant tremendously than the successful 
completion of an ordinary day's work, 
and, therefore, WHY IN THE NAME 
OF CONSCIENCE DO YOU NOT 
TAKE ONE OF THESE PROSPEC- 
TIVE PLANS OF LIFE CONDUCT, 
AND THINK IT OUT TO THE END? 

Why not get off of the fence on one 
side or the other at the earliest possible 
moment? Life is short, and with our 
commercial system organised as it is at 
present, there is not one single golden 
moment to lose. If you would succeed 
in any given line, you must concentrate 
all of your energy and activity ON THAT 
PARTICULAR LINE, to the exclusion 
of all others, and at the earliest possible 
moment. 

This is the age of speciahsation; the age 
when the world demands that the individ- 
ual be equipped TO DO ONE THING 
WELL! The age when the world has no 
time for the ^^Jack of all trades and master 
of none!'' Therefore, if you are unde- 



Memory and Its Development 25 

cided as to what your particular line shall 
be, GET OFF THE FENCE, take up the 
several possibilities, one at a time, and 
think them out to their ultimate conclu- 
sion. One at a time, mark you, take one 
of the possibilities. Concentrate your 
mind on that particular thing. Never 
leave it for a moment. Weigh it pro and 
con. Look broadly at all the advantages 
such a plan of activity could furnish you. 
At the same time, do not fail to search 
carefully for the disadvantages that may 
be lurking within it. Get good advice, to 
be sure, if you can, from men experienced 
in this particular line, but in the end DE- 
CIDE IT FOR YOURSELF, FAIRLY 
AND SQUARELY! Don^t dodge the 
issue. Decide it once and for all. Burn 
your bridges behind you, so far as that 
particular plan is concerned, if it does 
not seem feasible, and leave it once and 
for all. Then proceed immediately to 
the next possibihty, and the next, and the 
next, etc. 



26 Memoey and the Executive Mind 

These words are not only directed to 
the young man, who has not yet made his 
start as a factor in the world's economy, 
but they are addressed as well to all of 
those, and they are many, regardless of 
age, who have made a WTong start or 
who have gotten into the wrong business. 
To say it in idiomatic parlance, to all 
those who find themselves to be round 
pegs in square holes! 

If you have not yet made a start, GET 
READY TO START. If you have 
started wrong, prepare to start over. 
In any event, think it out carefully, and 
then do something quickly! QUICKLY! 
QUICKLY! 



CHAPTER II 
THE MECHANISM 

The Memory Every experience in 

Machinery: life, regardless of its 
quality, stamps an im- 
pression on the brain, which may be liken- 
ed to a little bypath or pathway, in the 
seat of the mind. 

The process of building up a good mem- 
ory consists in the formation of these 
mental pathways, and it is necessary to 
consider them from two view points : 

First, with a view to the consideration 
of their tenacity, their persistency; and 
second, with a view looking to their 
number. 

You will readily understand that the 
man with the best memory is the man 
who is favored with the most persistent 
of these mental pathways, and who at the 



28 Memory and the Executive Mind 

same time has the greatest number thereof. 
Although both tenacity and number are 
absolutely indispensable to the develop- 
ment of memory, they are far apart in 
their requirements. 

Having understood all along that mem- 
ory is a mental process, it necessarily 
follows that these pathways are mental 
phenomena, and are therefore located in 
the brain of the individual. 

Instead of calling them pathways, we 
might consider them as impressions, 
stamped in the tissues of the brain, more 
or less largely depending, of course, on 
the tenacity which that organ has de- 
veloped for holding such impressions, 
Therefore, we see that the tenacious 
quality so essential to the effectiveness 
of these pathways is purely physiological, 
and must be developed absolutely in a 
physiological manner. 

On the other hand, the number of the 
pathways (and the greater the number. 



Memory and Its Development 29 

the better the memory) is something 
which has to do entirely and absolutely 
with the sum total of mental experiences, 
regardless of the ability of the organism, 
texturally, to hold them. 

We see plainly, therefore, that in order 
to develop a good memory, one must see 
to it that the brain is made as tenacious 
as is physically possible, while at the same 
time one must treat the mind to as many 
mental experiences of the right sort as is 
possible. 

Now it shall be our purpose to talk to 
yoa concerning the best method of bring- 
ing about this result. Let us take the 
requirements in their order. 

. Since the memory pro- 

P ^S cess is carried on ab- 
^* solutely by means of 

mental pathways or mind impressions, 
and since we have learned that the more 
tenacious the pathways, the better is the 
memory, it naturally follows that it is of 



30 Memory and the Executive Mind 

the utmost importance that the individual 
develop, to the best of his ability, mind 
tenacity; and since this required tenacity 
is a physiological characteristic, we must 
proceed to its development from a physi- 
ological standpoint, and by physiological 
means. 

It is not necessary to remind the reader 
that exercise properly taken, and in suf- 
ficient degree, is the one thing indispen- 
sable to the proper development of the 
human organism, and this rule applies to 
the development of the brain as well as 
to the development of other parts of the 
organism, excepting that the brain de- 
mands its own peculiar kind of exercise. 
Therefore, if one would have a well de- 
veloped mental organism, it is of the high- 
est importance that he constantly and at 
all times furnish the brain with that par- 
ticular mode of exercise upon which it 
thrives. 

Now let us examine into the most ef- 
ficient kinds of mental exercise. First 



Memory and Its Development 31 

and most important of all kinds is the 
process of thinking. Nothing in the world 
will so strengthen the brain and add to its 
tenacity, to its firmness, as hard, intelli- 
gent, well directed thought. 

The Blacksmith has made his arm 
mighty to behold by using it constantly 
in connection with the anvil and hammer. 

The Infantry Soldier, by means of long 
marches at frequent intervals, has been 
known to develop such a capacity for en- 
durance as would enable him to march all 
day long without noticeable fatigue. 

The Athlete becomes a marvel of 
muscular action through continued ex- 
ercise, and we are all familiar with the 
celebrated character, mentioned in our 
classics, who developed the strength to 
carry a bull, by beginning to carry the 
animal each day from the day it was born 
till it reached maturity. In like manner 
then may the mind be developed along the 
same lines if it is permitted to exercise un- 
remittingly after its own peculiar fashion. 



32 Memory and the Executive Mind 

THINK, THINK, AND ALWAYS 
THINK, AND YOU WILL BE SUR- 
PRISED AT THE SPLENDID PRO- 
GRESS YOU ARE SURE TO MAKE. 

Do you read the newspaper daily? 
All right, think while you read it. Do 
you read the magazines of the hour? 
It is well. Think and ponder over what 
you read. Are you employed as a part 
of a gTeat commercial machine, wherein 
you are simply a small cog, charged with 
no particular responsibility? If so, look 
at the man next above you. Get hold of 
as many details in the problems he is 
forced to solve as you can possibly get 
within your grasp, and then think out a 
solution for them. A solution, we say, 
and nothing short of that. 

Keep thinking constantly on his 
problem or problems till you have ar- 
rived at a solution; rightly or wrongly, 
but in any event A SOLUTION, and the 
first thing you know, your thoughtfulness 
will be rewarded, and yoa wiU have 



Memory and Its Development 33 

problems of your own to think out, and 
to solve, which will mean positive ad- 
vancement in life's program. 

Are you at present holding a responsible 
position, or are you in business for your- 
seK? Are you a professional man? What 
matters it? If you are efficient you will 
have reached that point, if you are not 
already there, where your own problems 
solve themselves, your mind working 
automatically in the direction of a neces- 
sary solution, when the problem arises. 
Then you must advance in other direc- 
tions for your mind cannot stand still; it 
must either advance or deteriorate. 

Therefore, if you have reached such a 
mental stage as that mentioned before, 
broaden out, let your mentality grasp 
the great economical and political prob- 
lems of the day. 

If you have solved your own satis- 
factorily, it is of the utmost importance 
that you give our social system the benefit 
of your mental equipment. In the inter- 



34 Memory and the Executive Mind 

est of yourself, however, in the interest of 
everything that Hfe holds dear, THINK, 
AND ALWAYS THINK. This is the 
best possible kind of mental exercise, the 
tonic par excellence, the elixir of the mind. 

Now this caution should be observed. 
If you would improve your memory, 
which means positively and absolutely a 
better living, you must do it while there 
is yet time. 

Up to the age of twenty, the brain is 
decidedly plastic, and responds instantly 
to all sorts of impressions; it continues to 
have sufficient plasticity to absorb more 
than it drops out between the ages of 
twenty and forty. 

When one has traveled along to the 
fiftieth milestone, however, the mind just 
about holds its own. If it is not above 
the average, it drops out about as much 
as it receives, and from this point onward 
it becomes negative to a large degree, 
normally dropping out more than it re- 
ceives. This is where the man with a 



Memory and Its Development 35 

well developed tenacity of the mental 
pathways shines with splendid radiance 
among his brethren. The reason is not 
far to seek. If he has been constantly 
developing persistent mental tissues of 
thought concentration, and if he has 
taken sufficient mental exercise, he has 
achieved a mental equipment by the time 
he is fifty that stands him well in hand 
when he starts over the crest of the hill, 
and remains with him till he goes to 
slumber in his last resting place. 

This accounts for the great difference 
so noticeable in the period of old age in 
different individuals. The man who has 
developed tenacity of mind in his earlier 
years, remains alert and vigorous through- 
out his career, while the man who has 
neglected to build up persistency in the 
mental pathways, while there was yet 
time, reaches his second childhood, and 
in his latter days, becomes mentally as 
helpless as the prattling child on its 
mother's knee. 



36 Memory and the Executive Mind 

If you would remain vigorous, there- 
fore, and alert to your surroundings 
throughout life's journey, look to it that 
the memory pathways are made as tena- 
cious as possible in that period when 
there is yet opportunity. THINK! 
THINK! DEVELOP THE HABIT OF 
THOUGHT! Get into the way of dir- 
ecting your careful attention, and your 
earnest thought toward every object, and 
every situation met with in your life ex- 
perience. If you read a book, forget 
about the particular words used, but 
FIX THE TRAIN OF THOUGHT AB- 
SOLUTELY AND INESCAPABLY IN 
YOUR MIND. Connect it with as many 
other experiences as you can, and if there 
is opportunity for doing so, relate the 
substance to a friend. In any event, 
get the thought and carefully think it 
over. Sift out the part that is useless, 
but retain in your memory as much as is 
humanly possible of that possessing utility. 



Memory and Its Development 37 

Be an observer, and the closer you ob- 
serve, the better. If you go into the 
library of your home, observe what you 
see there, and compare it with yesterday's 
observation. Perhaps a book case is 
moved, a chair is out of its usual position. 
Observe the details, and encourage the 
mind to think about them. 

When you go into the street, observe 
the passers-by. Look into their faces. 
Mentally compare them as well as you 
may with others whom you have met. 
Try to fathom as best you can, their 
several characters, but always think about 
them! Get the habit! When you go out 
under heaven's vaulted dome at night, 
observe the wonderful celestial bodies, 
all speeding harmoniously on the mis- 
sions assigned them by the Creator, and 
think! What are they? What do they 
represent? THINK, THINK, AND AL- 
WAYS THINK ! Practice introspection. 
Look into the '^me." 'T' am what? 



38 Memory and the Executive Mind 

What do 'T stand for? What is there 
within me that differentiates this partic- 
ular ^'temple of a soul" from that housing 
the soul of my neighbor, whom I think I 
know intimately. THINK! Look into 
the experiences of the past, with the les- 
sons they have taught, and ponder them 
well. Continue to think, and think hard! 
This is the very best sort of exercise for 
the mind. This is the kind of brain exer- 
cise that, while not robbing the mind of 
one jot of its plasticity, so essential for 
gathering new ideas and new facts, yet at 
the same time, develops in a maximum 
degree the persistency of the mental 
pathways that make up the memory 
process. 

To say it in a word then, much thought- 
ful reading and observation will give the 
mind that exercise which it craves, and 
without which tenacity can never be de- 
veloped in the mental tissues. Let us 
now look at another phase of this de- 
velopment. 



Memory and Its Development 39 

. While we have gone 
Temperance m j^^^ ^^^^ considerable 
All Things : ^^^^.j ^^^^^^ ^^ indicate 

the necessity for continuous mental ex- 
ercise, there yet remains something that 
dare not be overlooked in the develop- 
ment of tenacity. 

No matter how much good exercise the 
mind may be given, all the good accom- 
plished can be undermined and entirely 
destroyed, if the laws of temperance are 
violated. 

By temperance, we mean the term in 
its broadest sense. 

PRACTICE TEMPERANCE! This 
is one of the first rules of existence; so 
much so as to have made a truism out of 
the statement that a man who practices 
gluttony in any form has transgressed 
nature's laws, and one day must pay the 
penalty. 

Since we have discovered that tenacity 
of mind is a physiological condition of 
the brain, it must naturally follow that 



40 Memory and the Executive Mind 

anything which is good for the physical 
organism, is also good for mind tenacity. 

If the individual is ill in one part of his 
organism, all other parts extend their 
sympathy, and at least to a certain degree, 
become ill also; it naturally follows there- 
fore, that during illness the memory can 
not be as good as when no illness is re- 
corded in any part of the organism. We 
say, therefore, that it is of the highest 
importance to keep in good physical con- 
dition at all times, if this can possibly be 
accomplished. Accordingly, in develop- 
ing memory, the laws of Hygiene should 
be carefully observed, and any slight in 
this direction will inevitably affect ad- 
versely the tenacity of the mental path- 
ways. 

This being true, then, it is absolutely 
essential that good wholesome food be 
eaten, in order to secure the best results. 
Good fresh healthgiving air must be 
taken into the lungs in sufficient quantity. 
The individual should provide himself 



Memory and Its Development 41 

with good, sanitary, and healthful sur- 
roundings. 

He must give the physical organism the 
physical exercise that it requires to be at 
its best. Much walking should be done 
in the open air. Long tramps are bene- 
ficial. 

All of these things contribute to the 
weKare of the physical organism, and 
therefore influence the brain, which is a 
part of that organism and the seat of 
mind. 

Now here are some don'ts, and they 
should be heeded religiously: 

Don't indulge in alcoholic liquors to 
excess. 

Don't practice dissipation in any degree 
whatsoever. 

Don't act immorally. 

Don't fail to get the amount of sleep 
necessary to keep your organism at its 
highest point of efficiency. 

Don't overeat. 

Don't under any circumstances fail to 



42 Memory and the Executive Mind 

give proper and careful attention to the 
process of digestion. 

Don't overexert yourself in physical 
exercise. 

Don't worry about anything, for worry 
profits you nothing and generates a 
poison at the roots of memory. 

Don't under any circumstances grow 
inactive and lazy. 

Don't indulge excessively in the use of 
tobacco. 

In short, don't be intemperate in any- 
thing. 

Practice at all times the virtue of 
temperance in its broadest sense, and the 
tissues of your cerebral cortex are bound 
to be benefited to such a degree that the 
tenacity of the memory pathways will be 
greatly enhanced. 



CHAPTER III 

DEVELOPMENT OF ADDITIONAL 
PATHWAYS 

Increasing the Every incident of life 
Number : experienced by the in- 

dividual leaves its im- 
pression on the mind. Every experience 
impresses the mental tissues in such 
a manner as to leave its mark, which we 
have called and shall continue to call 
throughout this treatise, a memory path- 
way. 

We have learned before that an efficient 
memory depends first, on the tenacity 
of these pathways; the persistence with 
which they remain with us; and second, 
on their number. 

We explained above, the methods by 
means of which the tenacity of the path- 
ways may be developed and accentuated. 



44 Memory and the Executive Mind 

It will be the province of this chapter to 
suggest ways and means for developing 
within the mind the largest possible 
number of pathways. 

We remarked before that every expe- 
rience, however insignificant, leaves its 
mark; therefore, it naturally follows that 
the individual who treats his mind to the 
greatest number of experiences, all other 
things being equal, will develop the best 
memory;- but in an earlier chapter we 
suggested that a good memory is charac- 
terised as much by the quality retained 
in the mind as by the quantity. Con- 
sequently there are hundreds of mental 
experiences with which all of us are more 
or less familiar, that represent idle, 
useless truck, and might better be forgot- 
ten than retained. Therefore, in speaking 
about the development of memory path- 
ways through a large number of mental 
experiences, we shall constantly refer in 
this book to mental experiences of the 
right sort, and when we speak of quantity, 



Memory and Its Development 45 

so essential to good memory, we shall 
always have in mind its logical con- 
comitant, quality. 

We are now ready to discuss the best 
methods for securing the maximum 
number of mental experiences possessing 
the highest degree of quality. This 
brings us back to the matter discussed in 
the previous chapter. First of all, your 
life work must have been decided upon, 
in order that you may know in which 
field to first begin the acquisition of the 
memory pathways. 

We shall assume that you have de- 
cided upon a life plan. This presup- 
poses the fact that you desire to be suc- 
cessful to the highest degree possible; 
therefore, you should immediately begin 
treating the mind to as many experi- 
ences in your particular line of work as 
you have the ability to procure for it. 
Study the experiences of other successful 
men in that particular line, or if you are 
pioneering a field where others have not 



46 Memory and the Executive Mind 

yet trodden, think deeply and in as many 
directions as possible on the problems 
that arise. 

Be as logical as you possibly can. Take 
the broadest possible view. Look at 
your problems from a great number of 
view points, but decide them! Don't fail 
in this essential. Whether you do it 
rightly or wrongly, in any event decide 
them! 

Read carefully and constantly as much 
literature as you can absorb on the par- 
ticular subject. Read not for the words 
that are given, but for the meaning; the 
substance; the content; and continue 
to think deeply. If there is any word, 
however, concerning the meaning of 
which you are in doubt, never leave it till 
you have ascertained its meaning from 
your dictionary. After a while, as was 
said in a previous chapter, you will prob- 
ably have trained your mind to solve 
automatically, the problems that arise. 

This is certain evidence of growth, and 



Memory and Its Development 47 

you are now ready for larger problems. 
Cultivate as many varied associations as 
possible; always of the proper kind, to be 
sure, but get the view point of as many 
people as it is possible for you to meet. 
Engage in social activity. Discuss prob- 
lems of the day with your fellows, 
bringing to bear thereon, all the intel- 
ligence and the power of thought with 
which you are endowed. Don't talk to 
hear yourself. Talk intelligently. Try 
your best to cultivate the habit of always 
being able TO SAY SOMETHING when 
you talk. Meet as many people as pos- 
sible, being careful to fix their names in 
your mind, so that they may not be for- 
gotten easily. Observe faces closely, so 
that you may be able to recognise them 
at all times. Go out of your way to 
make friends, for friends can and will 
provide for you the opportunities for 
securing the mental experiences that 
provide the greatest number of useful 
memory pathways. 



48 Memory and the Executive Mind 

Not only this, but without friends, a 
good memory would prove of little value 
to you anyhow. Never lose an oppor- 
tunity to express yourself publicly if called 
upon. Cultivate the ability to think on 
your feet, for here again, many oppor- 
tunities for mental experiences arise in 
the course of one's natural life. 

There is no doubt that you feel ignorant 
this moment concerning some question 
or other on which you ought to be inform- 
ed. Get some literature on that particu- 
lar subject, and study it carefully. Dis- 
cuss it with your friends. Make it a sub- 
ject for argumentation, if you will, but 
in any event master it, and you will have 
contributed greatly to the effectiveness of 
your memory in so doing. 

There remains yet one other help, 
greater than all those mentioned before 
for perfecting the memory machine. 
This is the careful, effective study of 
your native language, and because of its 
many eccentricities and apparent incon- 



Memory and Its Development 49 

sistencies, the English language is recom- 
mended for drill. 

Carry in your pocket, at all times, a 
dictionary, and cherish as a great asset 
the habit of referring to that dictionary 
whenever a word arises which you do not 
comprehend. Fix that particular word 
in your memory. Add it to your working 
vocabulary, and till it is thoroughly fixed, 
use it whenever possible and convenient. 
Acquire facility of speech. Store your 
mind full of synonyms for various words 
and expressions so that you may find it 
unneccissary to constantly use the same 
word or expression to convey different 
shades of thought. 

When you have secured a highclass 
working vocabulary, you will have made 
the first great step in the upbuilding of 
a good memory. After you have reached 
this point, you must still continue to ad- 
vance in that particular direction, for 
you can never stand still. At the same 
time, however, you will have furnished 



50 Memory and the Executive Mind 

yourself with an equipment which will en- 
able you to study and observe more intelli- 
gentl}^ other lines of thought which will 
have a broadening effect on your whole 
life, and enable the memory to continue 
its advance onward and upward. 

To recapitulate then, meet as many 
people as possible. Gather around you 
as many friends as you can. Read as 
much and as thoroughly as you are able 
to do without fatiguing yourself. De- 
velop the best working vocabulary and 
the greatest facility of speech within your 
power, and continue always to develop 
in this particular direction. 

Converse whenever given the oppor- 
tunity, always being careful TO SAY 
SOMETHING when you speak. 

Learn to think on your feet effectively, 
never refusing an opportunity to make 
an address publicly, assuming, of course, 
the opportunity is one where the laws of 
propriety are observed. 

Read always, looking to the substance 



Memory and Its Development 51 

of the matter read, rather than the words, 
but whenever a confusing word appears 
get its true meaning from a dictionary, 
and to this end a pocket dictionary 
should be carried at all times. 

Grow in your business, and when you 
have outgrown your business, if ever, 
find another business big enough to per- 
mit growth. 

Follow these rules earnestly and care- 
fully, and you will greatly enrich your 
mind 5 at the same time the number of 
useful memory pathways will be increased 
to such an extent as to permit you in the 
end to become a power among men. 



CHAPTER IV 

ASSOCIATION, AND OTHER ELE- 
MENTS 

What Is Associ- In the preceding chap- 
ation? ter we discussed mem- 

ory largely from the 
standpoint of its structural character- 
istics. We glanced at the machinery by 
means of which memory is carried on. 
We noted methods for improving the 
persistency of memory impressions, or 
pathways, and we also learned how their 
number could be increased. In this 
chapter we propose to look at the subject 
from yet another view point. It is our 
purpose now to examine into the manner 
whereby the countless numbers of path- 
ways may be co-related; brought into 
harmony with each other, to the end that 



Memoky and Its Development 53 

there may be effective cooperation among 
them by means of which the individual 
may be greatly advantaged. 

The pm-pose of this part of our work is 
to take the facts already in our grasp, and 
develop a method whereby we may re- 
tain in the memory, the knowledge of 
those facts most likely to be conducive to 
our welfare, and at the same time forget 
all information that is without value 
and worthless. 

In accomplishing this result we come 
closely in contact with that process of 
mental activity, known as ASSOCIA- 
TION. By this term we mean simply 
the association in the individuaFs mind, 
of ideas and facts introduced to each 
other, and in such manner as to make 
them hold together for all time. 

If you were to organise an association 
of Athletes, you would naturally conduct 
a search for those persons athletically 
inclined; and the stronger the inclination 
the better would they serve your purpose, 



54 Memoky and the Executive Mind 

and the more closely would they be bound 
to the association. 

We are all familiar with the old saying, 
to the effect that '^birds of a feather will 
flock together." Now this principle ap- 
plies absolutely to the contents of one's 
mind. Just as you, were you an athlete, 
would be inclined to form an association 
with other athletes, just so do ideas in 
the mind flock together with their own 
peculiar kind, and they become associated 
with each other in such manner that the 
mere mention of one idea brings along 
with it, a close friend, another idea. 
Take the Golden Rule for example; when 
I see before me the words, — '^Do unto 
others, '^ — ^because of the close association 
of the two thoughts, my memory instantly 
brings up above my mental horizon into 
consciousness, the companion-piece to the 
phrase just expressed, and my mental 
apparatus seeing it standing there as it 
were in plain view, instantly applies the 
rest, and I feel unconsciously, yet auto- 



Memory and Its Development 55 

matically, — ^^As you would have others 
do unto you.'' 

Now if you can have among your ideas, 
a tremendous number of ''close friends'' 
who will always introduce each other to 
your memory, your memory positively 
must be good; but if you have only a few 
ideas suflSciently well acquainted to in- 
troduce each other, it naturally follows 
that your memory will be bad. Accord- 
ingly, the point is just this: Exactly as 
you may meet many people personally, 
and become acquainted with them, if you 
set yourself to the task, just so can these 
ideas within your memory apparatus be- 
come ''good mixers," and get acquainted 
with large numbers of other ideas. 

From this it quite naturally follovi^s 
that you should busy yourself in every 
possible manner to get as many useful 
ideas closely associated together as pos- 
sible. Without doing this, either con- 
sciously or unconsciously, you never can 
hope to develop a good memory. 



56 Memory and the Executive Mind 

^, ^ ,ir . . If we are to introduce 
The Best Method: -a 4. u +i.^ 
our ideas to each other, 

then, to the end that they may return the 

comphment in time of emergency, and 

present each other to our memory when 

necessary, the question naturally arises, 

what is the best method to pursue? We 

have touched on this point before, but 

in answering this question we may recur 

to it again with benefit to ourselves. 

The very best method in the world is 
to constantly keep the think-tank in a 
receptive mood. Be on your guard al- 
ways. When new mental experiences 
arise, if possible to do so, co-relate them, 
either by similarity or by contrast or in 
some other manner, with past experiences. 

Get them associated with others at the 
earliest possible moment, in order that 
they may feel at home in your mentality. 
Cultivate assiduously the habit of think- 
ing about new experiences in terms of 
former experiences. Begin right now 
forming the habit of associating kindred 



Memory and Its Development 57 

ideas as well as un-related ideas with as 
many others as may be possible. 

Go at this matter of forming associa- 
tions among your ideas intelligently and 
industriously, and the first thing you know, 
your action will have crystallised into a 
mental habit which will do the work auto- 
matically and without any conscious as- 
sistance on your part. 

Now ideas and thoughts, and mental 
experiences of all sorts, may be brought 
together in many ways. It is not neces- 
sary that they be associated through 
similarity alone. It is true, to be sure, 
that similarity is a great help in associ- 
ation, for when you see a man on the 
street who bears a peculiar resemblance 
to your brother, you instantly think of 
your brother himself; at the same time, 
however, when some one mentions the 
word "white'' to you, does not your 
memory instantly respond by suggesting 
"black" also? For without black there 
could be no notion of white in your mind. 



58 Memory and the Executive Mind 

Here the association is not formed by sim- 
ilarity, but by contrast, and we might men- 
tion many other methods in which asso- 
ciations may be formed among your ideas. 
The above instances are sufficient, 
however, to illustrate the point. The 
thing we wish to do now is not so much 
to suggest the names of the terms of as- 
sociation, as to discuss the association 
itself. It is our wish to hold up before 
the man who would have a good memory, 
the absolute necessity of associating one 
individual idea with as many others in 
his mind as possible. It is important to 
get these mental pathways of memory 
as closely bound together as possible, for 
in union there is strength. 
_ _ _ If you will but think 

Th G^ J?'" for a moment you will 
^ ^^ * recall many instances 
where memory experiences might better 
not have occurred. All of us find our- 
selves at times with thoughts wholly un- 
worthy of us in our minds. 



Memory and Its Development 59 

All of us find ourselves thinking some- 
times, of things whereby the thought in- 
jures us more than it benefits. These 
mental experiences might better never 
have been felt, and so, since they are 
worthless, and injurious, it naturally fol- 
lows that they should be forgotten at the 
earliest possible moment. 

So far from being permitted to form 
associations whereby they may be kept 
green in the memory, it is of the highest 
importance that they be entirely blotted 
out to make room for nobler and more 
beneficial ideas. Therefore the individual 
should look for the good in every mental 
experience. When he has sifted the good 
from the bad, the bad should be dropped 
entirely, but the good should be intro- 
duced to the great mass of mental ex- 
periences stored in the brain, by means 
of this process of association. 

When in any mental experience, you 
have discovered something that you be- 
lieve will be, at some time or another, 



60 Memoky and the Executive Mind 

conducive to your welfare, associate it 
with just as many other experiences that 
you have known in the past, as possible; 
connect it with the greatest possible 
number of ideas then present in your 
mind, so that when needed, it may be 
instantly suggested to consciousness by 
the help of its associates. At any given 
moment there are in your field of PRES- 
ENT consciousness a large troop of ideas. 
Nov/, if they are each hitched on to a 
large number of other ideas, your PRES- 
ENT is always very rich in thought, and 
you have the facility for remembering a 
multitudinous number of past experiences. 
You have, in other words, a good mem- 
ory. 

„ , . , In forming this auto- 

Further Advan- ^^^j^ ^^^^^^ ^^^.^^ ^^ 

^^^^ • the association together 

of useful ideas, the individual is uncon- 
sciously taking another additional great 
step in the development of a vigorous 
memory. We refer to the process of elim- 
ination, whereby the good is preserved, 



Memory and Its Development 61 

and the bad is forgotten. By forming this 
habit of association, the individual is con- 
cerning himseK only with those ideas 
having utility, and he is not worrying in 
any degree about the negative thoughts; 
therefore, it becomes manifest that these 
thoughts are pushed away to look out for 
themselves, and just to that extent, they 
make the mental burden of the individual 
lighter. 

Now it is just as impossible for un- 
worthy ideas to associate with noble ideas 
as it is for criminals to associate with law- 
abiding citizens; therefore, almost before 
he realises it, the individual who has 
formed this habit of associating together 
positive mental elements, has built up an 
organisation of ideas that will protect 
him and take care of his weKare through- 
out his career. 

. ^ ^r ^ -p Of all methods of ex- 
A Few Words In • i i • ^ .i, 
. ^ ercise looking to the 

^* improvement of mem- 

ory, the one to be most heartily recom- 
mended, is thorough and consistent read- 



62 Memory and the Executive Mind 

ing. Not a single day should be per- 
mitted to go by without a certain amount 
of this kind of exercise. Nothing will so 
influence the memory for good, as consist- 
ent reading, repeated day after day; not 
once a week, or twice a month, but EACH 
AND EVERY DAY. This gives the 
mind the very best kind of exercise, since 
it forces the individual to think. No 
man can read any sort of literature with- 
out thinking, and the more he thinks 
over it, the better it is for his memory. 

Now you may be surprised when we 
suggest to you the kind of reading Vv^e 
would have you do. It is well to read 
magazines and books by good authors, to 
be sure, but what we are most concerned 
in having you read is at least ONE 
DAILY NEWSPAPER EACH DAY. 
Take up your daily paper in the morning, 
if convenient; or if not convenient in the 
morning, take it up in the evening, or if 
it is convenient for you at both times, 
read both the morning and evening news- 



Memory and Its Development 63 

papers. In any event, READ AT LEAST 
ONE NEWSPAPER EACH DAY. 

This mil serve a threefold purpose: 
First, it will keep you informed in the use 
of good language, and prevent you from 
ever getting stale in that direction; 
second, it will force you to think, and thus 
give you the exercise regularly demanded 
by the mind; and, third, it will keep you 
well informed concerning the live topics of 
the day, without the knowledge of which 
no man can have a proper education. 

The three advantages Just noted all 
conduce to the strengthening of memory, 
and since we would have you continue 
the exercise, day after day, year in and 
year out, it is not too much to say that 
this alone, if followed according to our 
directions, will develop your memory 
considerably above the average; and if 
you will constantly bring to bear on your 
reading, the use of a good dictionary, we 
may go even further and afhrm that a 
really good memory is assured. 



64 Memoky and the Executive Mind 

We challenge you to show us a single 
man who has ever developed a good 
memory without doing a large amount 
of reading. Not necessarily newspaper 
reading, although this will largely serve 
the purpose and perhaps better than other 
methods, but a large amount of some 
sort of reading; and again, the reading 
must have been persisted in consistently 
and regularly. 

A great mass of reading today, and 
then a rest for a week, does not help 
memory much. It probably does more 
harm than good, since it tends toward 
tearing down many of the associations 
previously established. The great ma- 
jority of men who have built up good 
memories, have been inveterate news- 
paper readers; men who would have 
thought as much of going without their 
dinner daily, as of going without their 
newspaper. 

There are some few exceptions to this 
rule among scholars, perhaps, and ped- 
ants, but for their newspaper reading 



Memory and Its Development 65 

these men have invariably substituted 
scientific treatises of one kind or another. 
The man who finds no pleasure in 
keeping up with the world's events is 
indeed in a sorry plight, and not only 
misses much that is his due, but at the 
same time withholds himself from the 
social system, of which he is a part, to 
an unjustifiable degree. 

No man should shirk the responsibili- 
ties of social existence, and it is the duty 
of every man to keep informed as best 
he may, concerning the development of 
that world society of which he himself 
is an integral part. 

Read the newspapers, and do not dodge 
words that are unknown to you. Read 
the newspapers constantly and studiously 
and in the end your memory will be 
much improved. 
^ . . ^ ^ We now come to a 
Repetition And j^^ wherefrom we 

Tune The Great ^^^ j^^j^ .^^^ ^^^ 
Elements: elements that con- 

tribute toward fixing the individual idea 



66 Memory and the Executive Mind 

in the mind. We have discussed the 
textural quality of the mental pathways. 
We have also discussed them with refer- 
ence to their number. We have dis- 
cussed methods of associating them to- 
gether, so that there may be a goodly 
amount of interdependence among them. 
We now come to the discussion of the 
elements which tend to make the indi- 
vidual idea or impression more and more 
solid in the memory. In this connection 
it may easily be shown that the two 
elements of greatest importance are 
REPETITION AND TIME. 

If you are endeavoring to memorise 
poetry, for instance, you start out by 
reading it a line at a time, and then you 
repeat the line and you find with every 
repetition it becomes fixed a little more 
firmly in your memory; gradually be- 
comes associated with more and more 
of your mental content in other words. 
After a while you have mastered it. The 
particular poem is fixed in your memory 
so that you can produce it orally without 



Memoey and Its Development 67 

apparent effort when called upon. Now, 
however, after a few days it tends to drop 
out of your mind, and will do so unless 
you persist in its repetition; here is where 
the time element enters. 

If you would hold an idea permanently 
within your grasp, you should refer to it as 
often as possible and without permitting 
great lapses of time to intervene. This is 
illustrated by the use of a vocabulary. It 
is safe to say that you have been con- 
fronted at some time or another with a 
word or an expression, the meaning of 
which you had forgotten entirely, not- 
withstanding the fact that probably not 
further back than a year before, you used 
it frequently as a part of your vocabulary 
in everyday conversation; somehow, how- 
ever, due perhaps to some change in en- 
vironment, you ceased using the partic- 
ular word or expression, and after a certain 
lapse of time you were not only unable to 
use it, but 3^ou had actually forgotten its 
very meaning. 

I think we are all familiar with such ex- 



68 Memory and the Executive Mind 

periences as this. Accordingly, in order 
to master any one particular thing, it is 
necessary that this repetition be persisted 
in, and that it be referred to as often as 
possible in order that long periods of 
time may not blot it from the memory. 
When, therefore, you have formed a 
memory pathway which enriches your 
mind to the extent of one additional idea, 
refer to that particular idea in conversa- 
tion, in writing, or in whatever manner 
you may, as frequently as possible, at any 
rate until it becomes fixed; otherwise it 
is likely to get away from you, especially 
unless it has become associated with a 
large number of other ideas within your 
mind. 

^ ^,^ In what has gone be- 

Good Memory X. U • 

-^ lore, you have been m- 

. " structed as to the best 

^ * methods for develop- 

ing a good memory. Essential rules of 
conduct for its formation have been given, 
and if the reader will follow these rules. 



Memory and Its Development 69 

and practice them in his daily life^ his 
memory is absolutely bound to be greatly 
improved. 

It is now thought necessary to say a 
few words with reference to the memory 
capacity of various individuals. 

First, put this down as an absolute fact. 
No individual is born with a good memory. 
A good memory must be acquired, and it 
can be gotten in no other manner. Some 
may be able to do better than others, so 
far as its acquirement is concerned, but 
this is due almost entirely to the fact that 
they will follow the rules for developing 
memory more closely than those whom 
they excel. 

The child is brought into the world 
with absolutely no thought or idea, much 
less a notion of memory, and no doubt it 
is quite some weeks after birth before the 
normal child has begun to remember; 
therefore, we see clearly that the mental 
content at birth is about the same in 
different individuals. After that it is 



70 Memory and the Executive Minb 

largely a matter of education and en- 
vironment, and in both, the memory is 
developed to a greater or less degree, de- 
pending absolutely on how closely that 
education and environment co-operate 
with the rules for memory development. 

If you would go from Chicago to New 
York, it is necessary that you start in 
Chicago and continue till you get to 
New York. You dare not go half way, 
and then return to Chicago, for that is 
not your goal. You will not in that event 
have reached New York. In like manner 
must you keep toward your goal if you 
would develop a memory. You must 
start toward the goal of good memory 
and you dare not stop on the way. You 
must keep on going or else you will never 
land there. 

Now since the minds of newborn babes 
are the same, so far as past mental ex- 
periences are concerned. It naturally fol- 
lows that the child which starts toward 
the goal of good memory, and keeps on 



Memory and Its Development 71 

going according to the rules of memory 
progress, will land at its destination, 
while the child that fails to keep on the 
march of progress, will never reach the 
goal. But it may be said at this juncture 
that most children do not strive for good 
memory. Doubtless this is true to a 
large degree; that is precisely where we 
hold our educational system is wrong, 
but let us waive that point. The rules 
laid down above apply just as much to 
the man who starts for the goal of good 
memory as they do to children; it is true 
that a mature individual has a certain 
number of mental experiences already in 
his mind; a few more, a few less, but it 
matters not. In any event he starts. 
The point we wish to bring out here is 
simply this: If he starts and keeps on 
going, conforming himseK to the rules 
for developing memory, he will in the 
end be rewarded with a good memory. 
This is assuming of course that he starts 
while there is yet time, and generally 



72 Memory and the Executive Mind 

speaking, the start should be made before 

the fiftieth milestone is reached, although 

there are a few brilliant exceptions to 

this rule. 

. «r ^ ^ ^ In all that has been 

A Word In Con- j u i. 

said above, much em- 
clusion: ^^^^j^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^^j^ 

on the fact that the development of mem- 
ory depends entirely for its effectiveness 
on the will power. If you WILL to 
have a good memory, nothing in the wide 
world can prevent you from realising 
that ambition. It is only a question 
whether you want to be able to remember 
or not. If you want the ability to re- 
member, and want it badly enough, then 
you will take steps to place yourself in 
possession of the rules for memory prog- 
ress; and when you have gotten the 
rules, you will pay the price of success, 
which in this instance means close ap- 
plication of yourseK to the rules. 

Then you will persevere, and in the end 
you will succeed, and just let us say this 



Memoey and Its Development 73 

final word in concluding the chapter: 
When you have attained to the point 
where your memory is true to you; 
where it stays with you through thick 
and thin, you "vvdll have achieved the 
one absolutely indispensable necessity 
for a successful career. 



PART II 
THE EXECUTIVE MIND 



CHAPTER I 

WHAT IT EMBRACES, AND HOW 
TO BEGIN ITS CULTIVATION 

Its Origin And What is it? Whence 
Meaning: comes the Executive 

Mind, and just exactly 
what is meant by that term? These are 
questions which the reader will doubtless 
wish to have answered without delay; 
therefore, before going further, and be- 
cause the answers to these questions will 
assist us materially in getting a foothold 
on the subject, we propose to discuss 
them forthwith. 

The Executive Mind is a force which 
has tremendously influenced the lives of 
people of all ages, and one which is es- 
pecially to be reckoned with in this day 
and age when specialisation and the 
division of labor have reached a stage of 
perfection never before dreamed of; 



78 Memoby AND THE ExEcurrvE Mind 

when captains of industry, of world 
renown, blossom on all sides. Whence 
comes the Executive Mind, then? It 
comes directly from the determination 
and the will power of the individual, 
and from no other source. Just what is 
meant by that statement will be developed 
further on in this chapter. Suffice it now 
to say that no man, past or present, was 
born with an Executive Mind, nor will 
any man in the future be so equipped 
at his birth. It must come through a 
process of development, and it can only 
come to the man who WILL, and to the 
man who DARES! So much then for 
its origin. 

Let us now proceed to a definition. 
The word "Executive'' comes directly 
from the Latin verb, exsequi, ex, mean- 
ing "out," and sequi, "to follow''; hence 
to follow out; to complete; to develop to 
the end; to finish; to continue till the 
task is accomplished. This gives us a 
good hint as to what we may expect 



The Executive Mind 79 

when an adjective coined from this verb 
is applied to the word "MIND.'' The Ex- 
ecutive Mind is a mind that does things. 
One that has a purpose in view, and 
then works until that purpose has been 
achieved. A mind that starts in a given 
direction and then keeps on going contin- 
ually until it arrives at its destination. 

The Executive Mind is the mind that 
is so developed as to be able to overcome 
obstacles, regardless of v/hat they may 
be. One which never can see defeat. 
One which never says "die." One which 
figures only on achievement and then 
proceeds directly, regardless of any ob- 
stacles that may arise, to victory! 

Accordingly, from the above, it be- 
comes clear to us now that the Ex- 
ecutive Mind must be the WELL OR- 
GANISED MIND, and therefore the 
man v/ho v/ishes to become possessed of 
this invaluable asset, miust so organise 
his mental activities as to permit no 
waste in mental energy. 



80 Memoey and the Executive Mind 

Everything in the world is charged, to 
a certain extent^ with energy, and all en- 
deavor, originating in the human organ- 
ism, either Physical or Mental, comes 
directly from this quality. Energy is of 
two kinds: Kinetic, or the Energy of 
Motion, with which all moving bodies 
are charged, and Potential Energy, or 
Energy possessing the quality of poten- 
tiality, with which the world is filled. 

Unfortunately a tremendous amount 
of energy is w^asted and dissipated, so 
that no good whatever comes from it. 

Now the great problem confronting us 
with reference to this vital quality is, 
how to direct it so that it will accomplish 
the maximum amount of good with a 
minimum of waste. 

A Locomotive Engine speeding along 
the rails, at fifty miles an hour, drawing 
behind it a mile of cars, all loaded with 
life's necessaries, is utilising much of the 
energy derived from the combination 
of fire and water, and their offspring, 



The Executive Mind 81 

steam, in an exceedingly proper manner; 
but a tremendous amount of the poten- 
tial energy, doubtless a greater amount 
by far than that already developed, lies 
hidden, or if partly developed, is mis- 
spent. Again, imagine a Locomotive 
tearing across lots, going nowhere in par- 
ticular, but doing much damage. Just as 
much energy is used, possibly more, than 
in the orderly movement of Locomotives, 
but it is misspent, wasted. We see, there- 
fore, that the intelligent direction of en- 
ergy is all-important. 

Engineers are constantly confronted 
with the problem of increasing the amount 
of energy to be utilised from a given 
commodity, coal for example, to the end 
that the additional amount harnessed, 
by means of some engine or another, may 
be forced to contribute to the world^s 
welfare. 

Now the energy within the brain of 
the average man is millions and millions 
of times more effective than that char- 



82 Memory AND THE Executive Mind 

acterising the activities of the greatest 
Locomotive known to Physical Science. 

Did not the brain of man devise the 
first Locomotive? And one having been 
devised, may not millions of others also 
be constructed? 

And besides mastering the details and 
principles of a Locomotive, does not the 
mind of the same man master the details 
of many other mechanical contrivances, 
to say nothing of the complex and varied 
machinery of actual existence? Does 
not the Locomotive respond instantly 
and truly to the absolute rule of the mind 
of man? Most assuredly! Yes, in every 
instance! All right, then your mind 
must certainly be an awe-inspiring engine! 

So true is this that we should be getting 
somewhere near at a fair illustration if 
we could picture a brain large enough to 
hold a thousand Locomotives; then if 
we could start them all into motion at 
the same instant, even then, we should 
have a picture which would but poorly 



The Executive Mind 83 

depict the great store of energy that lies 
hidden within the average mind. A 
wonderful force of potential activity, 
fraught with Herculean possibilities, is 
even now lying dormant in your mental 
apparatus. 

The only problem that presents itself, 
accordingly, in order to get results from 
your mind, commensurate with the above 
illustration, is to release from its inactiv- 
ity, the tremendous engine of power 
which now lies therein slowly but surely 
rusting. Now, the man who is able to 
arouse the potential energy with which 
his mind is charged, and organise it in 
such a manner that only a small modicum 
may be wasted, is the man who comes to 
be known as the one with the Executive 
Mind. Such a man never knows failure! 
Such a man keeps close company with 
successful and continuous accomplish- 
ment! 

The Executive Mind, then, is the mind 
that has been aroused from its slumber. 



84 Memory and the Executive Mind 

The mind that has organised itself in 
such manner that it knows no failure. 
The mind that knows only to command, 
and to receive that for which it asks. 

The Executive Mind is the greatest 
asset civilisation has today. It is the 
one indispensable jewel without price, 
which raises man from the level of the 
beasts. 

In answer to the two questions with 
which we started, therefore, we may 
say broadly that the Executive Mind 
COMES FROM THE WILL POWER, 
which is. a part of the heritage of all 
human beings, and the Executive Mind 
MEANS SIMPLY A WELL ORGAN- 
ISED MENTALITY. 
^ « , . rr. What is the wiU and 

w-n t'''' i^^ mysterious power? 

WiU Power : rpj^. ^ question has been 

asked thousands of times and has been 
answered in as many thousands of differ- 
ent ways. Just what it is, nobody knows. 
That it is a mental quaUty seems now to 



The Executive Mind 85 

be assured. Just what relation it bears 
to mental activities, however, has never 
been ascertained, perhaps never will be 
known. It seems to be intimately con- 
nected with the soul, the very spiritual 
side of life itself. In its mysterious con- 
fines lies the difference between various 
representatives of mankind. 

One man has apparently everything 
in his favor; good appearance; health; 
sufiicient wealth to start nicely; yet with 
all these advantages, he falls by the way- 
side, and perishes miserably. Another 
man with no advantages, yea, with 
many disadvantages, crippled, mayhap, 
in health and wealth, starts in with noth- 
ing, and finishes his threescore years and 
ten in the midst of happiness and the best 
the world has to offer. 

Wherein lies the cause of this splendid 
progress on the one side, and the miserable 
failure on the other? There is no mystery 
in the happening, at all, save in so far as 
will power itseff is a mystery. The differ- 



86 Memory and the Executive Mind 

ence in the careers of the two men lies 
ntirely and absolutely in their respect- 
ive amounts of will power. Without 
will power, no man dare hope to succeed. 
With it there is hope in abundance for the 
humblest, and indeed, if well supplied 
\^ath this invaluable asset, failure is im- 
possible. What is it? Whence comes it? 
It is that force, . that determination, 
that driving power, within the individ- 
ual, that comes to the front when he says 
I WILL! and pushes him forth to his 
destiny. It is the very force which 
drives him to say, I WILL! It is the 
power which forces him to even think, 
I WILL! Dear reader, IT IS THE 
GENERATOR OF ALL MENTAL 
ENERGY! It is that compelling power 
of consciousness supplied in very nearly 
like degree, to all individuals, but, un- 
fortunately, in many permitted to slum- 
ber without end throughout life! It 
positively and absolutely can be de- 



The Executive Mind 87 

veloped. It is not God-given any more 
than the eyes are God-given, and most 
of God^s creatures are supplied with eyes. 
God-given, to be sure, but given poten- 
tially. It may or may not be developed. 
In many, many cases a suggestion 
has been sufficient to stir a spark of will 
power into a colossal flame. An encour- 
aging word, or an event; a piece of good 
literature; a short sentence in a book; 
anything may start the will within you. 
Once it is started, if it can secure any 
sort of cooperation at all from your 
^^me," the blaze will never subside, but 
will grow larger and larger until the giants 
of your brain have been loosened and set 
free. Your mental energy will be de- 
veloped in high degree, and you will be 
the possessor of an executive mind. The 
executive mind then has its source in 
WILL POWER, and can never even 
have its beginning unless the individual 
WILLS that it should be developed. 



88 Memory and the Executive Mind 

^, ^ , . . In the first part of this 
Its Relation to i j i. 

^ volume we dealt ex- 

^' clusively with memory 

and its development, and the conclusion 
of the treatment of that subject left us 
quite naturally at the threshold of the 
one which we are now discussing. 

We learned that memory is a mental 
process, and we learned furthermore that 
if one would develop a memory, one must 
of necessity so organise his mentality as 
to be able to preserve for future use, that 
Vv^hich is good, and drop out by the proc- 
ess of forgetfulness, that which is bad. 
We had little difficulty in showing that the 
successful man is and must be, a man 
with a well developed memory. We 
pointed out, in other words, that one 
invaluable essential of greatness and suc- 
cess in the world, is a good memory; 
therefore, since the executive mind is 
today, and always has been, the greatest 
force of progress, and the especial pos- 
session of all individual greatness, it 



The Executive Mind 89 

naturally follows that a good memory is 
the one indispensable essential of an ex- 
ecutive mind. For unless a man has so 
organised his memory as to be able to 
retain therein, those mental experiences 
that bear potential benefit within them- 
selves, he never in the wide world can 
hope to achieve that greater boon desig- 
nated as the Executive Mind. 

From this discussion we conclude that 
the latter term is the greater, and is suf- 
ficiently broad to include the former, but 
while an Executive Mind goes further, 
and includes also many other essentials 
besides an effective memory, the latter 
is the basic rock, the foundation, abso- 
lutely indispensable to the erection of the 
superstructure. 

Having concluded, then, the discussion 
of memory development, our purpose 
shall now be to show, among other things, 
what use should be made of memory, 
once it is acquired. We can best do this 
by considering at length, the correct 



90 Memoky and the Executive Mind 

methods for developing the executive 

mind, and the proper use to be made of 

that agency, when once developed. 

^ . . ^. We learned from a 
Begmnmg The . i . 

^ ^ , ^ previous chapter, 

Development: ^j^^^ ^j^^ individual 

who trains his mind to associate automat- 
ically, a maximum number of effective 
ideas, comes finally to that point where 
the mind has such a facility for doing this 
work on its own account, that the memory 
is made efficient, almost without the con- 
scious cooperation of the individual. 
While this is established in memory 
building, it is none the less applicable in 
building up the Executive Mind. 

No mind can ever be capable of ex- 
ecuting unless it first is master of itself. 
It must recognise to the full its capabil- 
ities, and at the same time its limitations. 
It would be, perhaps, quite right to state 
that this is the first step in the organ- 
isation. Let the mind become acquaint- 
ed with itself, and with all the latent 



The Executive Mind 91 

potentialities with which it is filled. After 
it is sure of itself in this regard, it will 
call into action the muscular forces of the 
body, and the beginning of the inevitable 
inarch to success will be made. 

When all is said and done, there is on 
the surface, relatively little separating the 
successful individual from the unsuccess- 
ful; it is really amazing to note the ridicu- 
lously small amount of apparent differ- 
ence between the big man of affairs, and 
the little fellow toiling along for a miser- 
able wage, barely able to keep the woK 
from the door. Indeed, it may be said 
the difference is absolutely one of mental 
energy, and it is a safe bet that the little 
fellow has right now within his brain as 
much energy, if it were but developed, 
as the big man occupying the world^s 
stage. 

We make no doubt that in many cases, 
could the potential energy but be meas- 
ured, the balance would swing positively 
in favor of the little fellow. 



92 Memory and the Executive Mind 

Did you ever see a really great man 
talking to a really insignificant man? 
Ten chances to one you would have taken 
the man of insignificance for the big fel- 
low, had some one not pointed out to you 
the difference, or had you not known the 
man of greatness from his oft published 
photograph. We repeat, to all outward 
appearances there is relatively httle dif- 
ference ordinarily between two individ- 
uals. The difference has entirely to do 
with the amount of energy leased from 
bondage in the minds of the two men 
respectively. The energy in the mind 
of the big man is fighting his battles for 
him, while that in the mind of the other 
is lying dormant. 

The first step in teaching the mind how 
to become its own master, and how to 
successfully command its component parts 
to do its bidding absolutely, is to treat it 
to a welcome surprise. Set it to some 
problem a little out of the ordinary. If 
you have never had mathematics above 



The Executive Mind 93 

a certain point, take a problem a little 
beyond that point, and see how quickly 
your mind responds if given a chance. 
If you prefer a different sort of experi- 
ment, try a problem in Chemistry, and 
see how splendidly your mental appa- 
ratus adjusts itself to this new environ- 
ment; or, if you wish something more 
practical, take a problem of the day; 
the tariff question; the income tax; the 
initiative, referendum and recall; any 
problem in economics; in fact, anything 
you will, and note the wonderful interest 
your brain will take in the subject, and 
the remarkable amount of self-confidence 
it soon will assume. After a trial or two 
of this sort, your mind will claim its own, 
and the development of mental organisa- 
tion will have begun; now, if you will 
give it the encouragement it requires 
from the rest of your organism, the 
Executive Mind is in sight. 



CHAPTER II 

CONTINUING THE TRAINING 

The Influence In the previous chap- 
of Habit: ter we undertook to 

define the Executive 
Mind, and to explain its origin. We also 
discussed to some extent the best method 
for beginning its development. The pur- 
pose of this chapter is to suggest ways 
and means for more or less extensively 
continuing that development. In doing 
this we are brought face to face with one 
of the greatest masters in the history of 
humanity. A master that varies de- 
cidedly in different individuals. If he has 
been favored by a proper environment, 
and has been properly educated, he be- 
comes an amiable master, and beneficial 
to the last degree. If, on the other hand, 
his intimate surroundings have not been 



The Executive Mind 95 

good, and his education has been sUght- 
ed, he may become a remorseless monster, 
wholly devoid of consideration and in- 
sensible to pity. In either case his name 
remains the same, and it is '^Habit.'' 

Habit rules the universe. It enters 
into the decision of all your problems. 
It puts you to bed at night, and gets you 
up in the morning. It takes you to your 
daily work, and governs you while you 
are there employed. It accompanies you 
wherever you go, sleeping or waking. 
It is your inseparable companion. All 
of which being true, it now becomes plain 
that this particular agency must be taken 
into careful consideration when the Ex- 
ecutive Mind is being developed. 

What is Habit? Habit is the coordi- 
nation of certain movements, selected 
from the great mass of movements, that 
are irregular and uncoordinated, which 
results from action repeated so often, 
that it finally takes place without any 
reference to the volition of the individual; 



96 Memory and the Executive Mind 

the demand for action, and the attending 
action, in a given instance, and at a given 
time, then being registered in conscious- 
ness automatically, and without any 
conscious mental effort whatsoever. Or, 
in other words, it is a new method of 
mental discharge by means of which the 
mind^s order that a certain action be per- 
formed, passes through certain pathways, 
coordinated by persistence, these same 
pathways, when once coordinated, always 
governing that one particular action. 

The indi^adual begins making habits 
at birth, and continues doing so through- 
out his lifetime. This being true, it 
naturally follows that many good habits 
are formed, while conversely, it is like- 
mse true that many of the opposite sort 
find their way into the individual's activ- 
ities. No man can hope to escape ab- 
solutely from forming some bad habits. 
At the same time he is bound to form a 
great m.any good ones. It follows ac- 
cordingly, that every individual is pos- 



The Executive Mind 97 

sessed of some of each kind. It becomes, 
then, simply a matter of balancing the 
good ones along with the bad. If the good 
predominate, we say the character of 
the individual is good, and just in the 
proportion that the good habits do pre- 
dominate, we decide whether the char- 
acter of the man is ^ood, better, or best. 
In like manner, that individual who, 
unfortunately, has permitted himself to 
form more bad habits than good ones, 
must be judged to be the possessor of a 
bad character, and this is inevitably 
his status in the community. Now, the 
rule mentioned above applies negatively, 
for just in the proportion that his good 
habits are outnumbered by the bad, 
just in that proportion is his character 
bad, worse, or worst. 

Character, then, from what has just 
been said, miust be nothing more nor less 
than the balance struck off between the 
sums total of the good and bad habits 
respectively in a given individual; and 



98 Memoky and the Executive Mind 

that is just exactly what it is; therefore, 
Character plays a prominent role in the 
formation of the Executive Mind, be- 
cause no mind can ever be executive in 
the proper sense, unless it is backed by 
a sterling character in the given individ- 
ual. 

Since, then, habits represent the stuff 
out of which character is made, and 
character is a component part of the ex- 
ecutive mind, it follows that the indi- 
vidual cannot be too careful in striving 
to do his very best to the end that good 
habits may be formed rather than bad 
ones. If good habits are formed, they 
contribute a tremendous amount of as- 
sistance to the individual, since they 
take entirely away from consciousness 
the necessity for carefully supervising 
the particular action that habit controls. 

If consciousness now is freed from the 
necessity of watching over this particular 
act, it is given the opportunity to go into 
other fields and get under way other 



The Executive Mind 99 

useful habits, which when formed will 
also be self-governing and contribute to 
the welfare of the individual without 
requiring any attention. 

Let us illustrate: All of us go through 
that period in childhood when we must 
learn to walk, and we must even learn to 
sit in a chair. 

After a while these actions become 
habitual, and one may sit in a chair 
quite without giving the operation any 
mental attention. 

Now later we acquire the knowledge 
of reading, and while the action may 
crystallise into habit, it is a process which 
always requires more or less mental at- 
tention. Now suppose you wish to sit 
in an easy-chair, and read some inter- 
esting literature of some sort; you may 
easily do so because you have learned 
through force of habit to sit in the chair 
without giving the operation any mental 
attention. Therefore your consciousness 
is permitted to give its entire attention to 



100 Memory and the Executive Mind 

the operation of reading and you both 
read and sit comfortably at the same time. 
Just suppose for instance that there were 
no such thing as habit; in that event it 
would be necessary for one's mind to give 
its whole attention to the operation of 
sitting quietly in a chair, and one could 
not read under any circumstances. He 
could do just one thing at a time, no 
more. You see, accordingly, that habit 
is tremendously useful if it is the right 
sort of habit. 

We have taken an extreme case as an 
illustration, but thousands of others just 
as appropriate could easily be mentioned. 
We perform the operation of writing 
largely through habit. W"e learn to 
study by means of habit. In fact, the 
great majority of our activities are habit- 
ual, and accordingly it immediately ap- 
pears that provided the proper attention 
has been given to the formation of 
proper habits, we may be tremendously 
advantaged thereby. Therefore we re- 



The Executive Mind 101 

peat again for emphasis: Your daily 
habits have a tremendous amount to do 
with the development of your mind, 
and with its organisation. 

Just as early as possible the individual 
should begin to cultivate useful habits; 
those which can render positive assist- 
ance in life's problems. At the same 
time he should shun those possessing 
negative qualities, and steer clear of them 
wherever possible; but when some neg- 
ative habits have been formed, the in- 
dividual should immediately, without a 
moment's delay, begin tearing them 
down; and as soon as one is destroyed, he 
should assail another, and so on until he 
has gotten his daily life as nearly per- 
fect, and as nearly harmonious as pos- 
sible. 

Good habits are conducive to harmony, 
and bad habits produce discord. Every- 
thing in the universe endeavors to har- 
monise, and will do so if permitted. 
We notice this in pleasurable action, 



102 Memory and the Executive Mend 

which is in direct harmony with all crea- 
tion. Pain, on the other hand, is quite 
the reverse, and always is discordant. 
Therefore the individual can stand more 
pleasure than pain, and with a greater 
sense of satisfaction. 

Inwardly all of us know good from bad. 
Our environment, our teaching, has been 
such that, according to our conventions, 
we can not help knowing the difference 
between the two. Therefore we all loiow 
good habits from bad ones. According- 
ly, since the good are harmonious, and 
the bad discordant, and the majority of 
the harmonious with a minority of the 
discordant make for good character, 
while the reverse is likewise true, and 
character makes up such an important 
part of the Executive Mind, OUR RULE 
OF CONDUCT IS AS PLAIN AS A, 
B, C. 

Form habits then, is our final ad- 
monition on this score, BUT FORM 
GOOD ONES! 



The Executive Mind 103 

Now, any mode of activity that con- 
duces to the positive weKare of your 
organism or of your career, is the basis of 
a good habit within the meaning of that 
term as used above, and should there- 
fore be habituahsed if possible. Habit- 
ualise just as many of your actions 
possessing positive qualities as possible. 
Get into the habit of doing things bene- 
ficial to your weKare, habitually, for the 
greater your number of habitual activ- 
ities, the greater becomes the opportu- 
nity given your mind for organising itself 
into executive potentiality. 

The one habit which 

^ ^ * ' haps, contributes most 

positive assistance to the development of 
the executive mind, is the study habit. 
That habit which drives you to study; 
to look into things; to broaden yourself 
as all individuals should; to enrich your 
mentality by filling it with knowledge; 
for no matter how well the mind may be 



104 Memory and the Executive Mind 

organised, unless it is rich in mental ex- 
periences, it can never hope to be ex- 
ecutive in the full sense of the term. 
Therefore we beg you to form the study 
habit while there is yet time. 

Decide in your own mind to become an 
authority on some one subject or another. 
Perhaps you have a hobby. All right, 
make it scientific, and learn the principles 
governing it so well that you could write 
a book on the subject; this assuming, of 
course, your hobby is one of constructive 
nature, and not in any sense of the word, 
destructive. 

If you love farming for its own sake, 
read up on Agriculture; study the various 
soils, and be able to answer any questions 
that may come your way on that par- 
ticular subject. 

If Poultry Raising appeals to you, 
study the wealth of information that you 
may easily place at your disposal. Per- 
haps Electricity appeals to you; Com- 
mercial organisation, mayhap; Banking; 



The Executive Mind 105 

Politics; Philosophy; Sociology; History; 
any one of a thousand things, no matter 
what; thresh it out from beginning to end, 
and learn all you can on the subject. Ac- 
quire local reputation, if you can, among 
your friends, for knowing absolutely what 
you are talking about when you discuss 
some particular subject. When you are 
mentally sure of one subject, and your 
mind has gained the confidence in itself 
which such an experience is bound to 
give it, it is on the direct road to that 
happy stage where it will become ex- 
ecutive to the fullest degree. 

Form the study habit not only with 
reference to one thing, but be a student 
of all sorts of phenomena common to 
existence. Be progressive. Study and 
learn; constantly broaden out. Develop 
once and for all the study habit, and the 
pleasure derived therefrom will be so 
great that you will cherish the habit as 
one of your most valuable possessions. 
It is the greatest sweetener of life. 



106 Memory and the Executive Mind 

In a former chapter 
^st Another ^^ nientioned briefly 
^^^^' that thoughts freight- 

ed with potential benefit for the individ- 
ual should be treasured and kept green in 
the memory; and that unworthy thoughts 
should be discontinued, and blotted out 
of the mind. 

It would seem to be appropriate now to 
suggest just a word further on this sub- 
ject as we are about to close this chapter 
on Habit. Have you ever stopped to 
consider that you can acquire for your- 
seK the habit of thinking only in terms 
of clean, noble, lofty sentiment? 

And have you ever stopped to con- 
sider that you can erase from your mind 
and its activity all that has reference to 
the base and vile? Well, you can! This 
is positively and absolutely true. You 
can, and by all that life holds dear, you 
should! 

When you discover yourself thinking 
on some subject that is entirely unworthy 



The Executive Mind 107 

of your attention, kill it immediately, and 
grasp with your mentality its opposite! 

It may take some time to break off 
the bad habit, but in the end you will 
conquer it, and it will be each succeeding 
time increasingly more difficult for such 
thoughts to make their reappearance in 
your mental view. When you discover 
yourseK thinking of any one of a thousand 
things that are negative in the extreme, 
that hold within themselves nothing of 
positive benefit for you, instantly force 
your mind to think those thoughts which 
are diametrically opposed to the ones 
without merit, attempting to steal into 
your mental labyrinth like thieves in 
the night! 

Fill your mind chock full of the noble, 
and the lofty! Strive to your utmost to 
cultivate and develop this habit of cor- 
rect thought. Conquer the vicious that 
attempts to gain entrance into your 
mentality. Overcome it so thoroughly 
that you will never be ashamed to come 



108 Memory and the Executive Mind 

face to face with yourself when you are 
alone with your conscience on a dark 
and gloomy night! 

In concluding this chapter, then, we 
would urge you again to do your very 
best to form good habits in every possible 
line of human activity; at the same time, 
to the best of your ability, eradicate all 
injurious habits. We have laid especial 
stress on the necessity for developing 
the study habit. 

Get into the habit of studying care- 
fully and painstakingly everything that 
could possibly benefit you; finally, then, 
last but by no means least, concentrate 
your attention on the development of the 
priceless habit of clean thinking. 

Think always in noble terms. Be clean 
in year thought as well as in your physi- 
cal activities! 



CHAPTER III 

SOME POSITIVE QUALITIES OF 
MIND 

Persistence: No matter how well 
a man may be edu- 
cated; no matter how good may be his 
memory, without persistence he is in as 
bad a plight as was the elephant Jumbo, 
that insisted on standing still without 
budging when a lightning express was 
rushing toward him at full speed. He 
was lost, and soon forgotten. A tre- 
mendous amount of Potential Energy 
was bound up in the bone and tissue, 
which together with the vital spark, made 
up his existence, but notwithstanding 
aU of the ability in his possession, he re- 
fused to move, stood still, and in the end, 
perished. 

Just so is the individual of splendid 
equipment, who has not the persistence 



1 10 Memory and the Executivb Mind 

to advance. Such a man starts, but he 
never finishes. At the critical moment 
he always vacillates, and, indeed, after a 
time, he has been whipped so often that 
in his own mind he recognises himseK 
as a coward, and the world is quick to 
take him at his own valuation. 

He begins a task with splendid promise; 
everything moves beautifully 5 suddenly, 
however, some little obstacle arises which 
requires a little concentrated attention 
on his part, and perhaps some physical 
action. Here is where he shows the 
''yellow'^- insists it cannot be overcome, 
and turns back, only to have his place 
taken, in the great majority of cases, by a 
man tremendously less brilliant, but pos- 
sessing that quality with which the first 
individual refused to have anything to do, 
^Tersistence V '^Stick-to-it-iveness !" 

You have seen many a man, we dare 
say, start out on life's pathway, serene 
and happy, equipped with splendid qual- 
ities, and everything necessary for sue- 



The Executive Mind 111 

cess; doubtless happily married, and ap- 
parently moving in a straight line toward 
the establishment for himself of a happy 
career. 

You and your friends have doubtless 
said in admiration, Look at him! Is he 
not a splendid fellow? Must he not 
surely achieve success? He reaches the 
ages of twenty-two, twenty-three, twenty- 
four, and twenty-five, respectively, and 
all is well. Things seem to go his way 
tremendously. Twenty-six comes on, 
and twenty-seven; is he slacking up? 
Surely not yet! Impossible at this early 
stage; but Yes, he wavers. Twenty- 
eight, and he receives a setback. Twenty- 
nine, moving more slowly. Thirty, and 
he has spent his force. In the vernacular 
of the street, if it may be pardoned in this 
instance, he has ^^shot his wad" at thirty, 
and why? Just on this account: He 
started out with a fearfully small supply 
of persistence, and by the time he reached 
the age of thirty, he had lost all that he 



112 Memoky and the Executive Mind 

once possessed; then, like an old farm 
horse, whose usefulness is past, he settled 
down to await patiently his turn to de- 
part from the world and its activities! 
He failed miserably! 

But we have all seen another type 
also! 

Here is a man who plods along without 
a great deal of ability that is especially 
noticeable. He goes slowly, but surely. 
With him it is a geometrical progression. 
He reaches the age of twenty-five, more 
forceful than when he was twenty-one. 

At thirty he has added tremendously 
to his momentum. At forty he becomes 
a giant, and at fifty he is doubtless one 
of the world's greatest men! This man 
started with persistence, and he added 
to his supply, each and every day, as the 
years rolled by. 

It readily appears, therefore, that an 
indispensable quality that must be pos- 
sessed in the highest possible degree by 
every man who strives for success, is 



The Executive Mind 113 

persistence; stiek-to-it-iveness. This, like 
practically all other mental qualities, 
must be developed, and it can be done 
easily. While it is a distinct mental 
quality standing on its own bottom, it is 
nevertheless closely related to will power, 
and has considerable to do with that 
agency. 

^_, _ _^ The individual should 

How It May ^^^^ developing per- 
■L'eve opea. gistence as soon as he 
is old enough to know the meaning of the 
term. The earlier, the better, bat it is 
never too late to mend. Therefore, if he 
has not consciously tried to develop 
stick-to-it-iveness before reading these 
lines, he may well begin now, regardless 
of age. He should begin by blotting en- 
tirely out of his mind the phrase, ^^I 
can't/' and he should substitute therefor 
the phrase, "I can.'' 

What have you attempted today and 
finally left undone? Go finish it without 
fail tomorrow. What problem have you 



1 14 Memoby and the Executive Mind 

attempted to solve, in which, failing 
yourseK, you were forced to get the help 
of another party? Go over that problem 
now yourself, and see how easy the solu- 
tion really becomes, when a persistent 
mentality gets back of it. Make a res- 
olution in your mind right now that from 
this time forward you will master your 
own problems, be they great or small! 

Do not run for help, then, when the 
first one presents itself, but go at it val- 
iantly, and fight out its solution with your 
last drop of blood! Fight! Stay with 
it for days, or even weeks, but conquer it! 
Once you have mastered a really difficult 
problem, that ordinarily you should have 
turned over to an assistant for solution, 
you will have so encouraged yourseK 
with the added confidence developed in 
yourself, that you will immediately be- 
come a decidedly stronger man. Begin 
the conquest right now! Do not admit 
defeat in a single instance from this time 
forward! 



The Executive Mind 115 

Some obscure problem may possibly 
arise which after the most industrious 
effort you find you cannot solve, but hold 
out to the last! Every moment spent 
in grappling with it will represent time 
contributed to a good cause, and if it 
develops finally that you must have as- 
sistance, get it; but while you may feel 
yourseK whipped temporarily, you must 
insist in your mind, and maintain the 
contention to the bitter end, that you 
are not conquered! If you fight it out 
on this line, rarely indeed will it ever be 
necessary to appeal for help; rather will 
you achieve such a reputation for per- 
sistence that those who know you will 
be coming your way to enlist your ser- 
vices in their behalf. 

Be persistent! If you start an action, 
see it through! Stay with it until it is 
completed! Cultivate this quahty with- 
in yourself and you will have brought the 
development of the executive mind much 
nearer to completion. • 



116 Memory and the Executive Mind 

^^ ^ ,.. ^^ We now find ourselves 

The Quality Of , . . +.1. 

Q If -n A beginning the discus- 

" ^ " sion of a subject which 
IS very closely related 
to persistence. Indeed, it is not too 
much to say, perhaps, that the two are in- 
separable, since without self-dependence 
there could be no persistence, and without 
persistence self-dependence would be re- 
duced to the status of a purely meaning- 
less term. 

Persistence, we learned before, means 
simply the quality of sticking to a given 
task, or an action or an operation, mental 
or physical, until the thing in hand has 
been consummated; until it has been 
successfully concluded. 

SeK-dependence on the other hand, 
while very similar, to be sure, is different 
to some extent in this : that the individual 
believes thoroughly in himself, and in his 
ability to accomplish anything. What 
has been done by others, he himself can do. 
Now, it is not inconceivable, though it is 



^ The Executive Mind 117 

improbable, that a case may exist where 
an individual could have the most abun- 
dant confidence in his ability to achieve, 
and yet not be persistent. Again, he 
might be thoroughly persistent, and still 
lack seK-confidence. We say such cases 
might arise, but in any event they are de- 
cidedly rare. 

It really does not make a considerable 
amount of difference to us, however, 
whether the two qualities may exist 
separately, or whether they are always 
combined in the same mind. The point 
we really wish to make, is that there is 
a distinction between the two, and that 
both qualities are very desirable and 
really essential to success. 

Now, having discussed persistence at 
length, we think it advisable to say a 
few words on the subject of its close 
relative. Self-dependence. The man who 
is seK-dependent in the true sense, is the 
one who has the most unbounded con- 
fidence in his own ability to achieve. 



1 18 Memory and the Executive Mind 

He believes that what has been done 
before may be repeated, and he believes 
that it would be cowardly for him to 
admit, without a fair trial, that the man 
who previously rendered the particular 
accomplishment, was possessed of more 
brain capacity than he himself j^ 

Therefore, he is the man who approach- 
es a given task, believing heart and soul 
in his ^^ME." With tremendous con- 
fidence, he brings the most vital spirit 
possible to the attempt to succeed. ^ The 
man who is self-reliant in the true sense, 
however, as well as the man who is truly 
persistent, possesses too much good sense 
to attempt things that are physically 
impossible. 

For instance, it is conceivable that a 
case might exist where an individual 
would attempt to batter down an enor- 
mous stone wall with his head, but he 
never could hope for success. To such 
a task he might conceivably bring tre- 
mendous persistence, and keep on stick- 



The Executive Mind 119 

ing to it until the vital spark should leave 
his body. In the same operation he 
might even be thoroughly confident that 
he could accomplish that which he started 
out to do. 

Indeed, he might be endowed with all 
the self-dependence possible, but he never 
could succeed, for the very reason that 
the physical laws governing all matter 
and all substance would be against him, 
and if in spite of this he were to continue 
in such an impossible operation, we should 
call it rank madness, and designate him as 
a hopeless maniac. 

Now, right here is where the well or- 
ganised mind enters. The man who has 
given attention to the proper organisa- 
tion of his mental qualities, knows on 
the face of the thing that such an opera- 
tion, as that suggested above, could never 
be successful, and therefore, he wastes 
neither time nor energy in such foolish- 
ness. We see, therefore, that it is of 
prime necessity that in practicing either 



120 Memory and the Executive Mind 

persistence or self-dependence, the in- 
dividual should bring intelligence to bear 
on everything that arises in his experi- 
ences; but while this is true, we are very 
anxious that we be not misunderstood. 
Understand, we would not under any 
circumstances have an individual refrain 
from attempting the apparently impos- 
sible in many cases; unless mankind did 
from age to age attempt to do things 
which the world had theretofore con- 
sidered to be impossible of accomplish- 
ment, no progress could ever be made, 
and our civilisation could never have been 
advanced to its present splendid state. 

What we do wish to say is this: The 
intelligent man; the man with the well 
organised mind; the man with good com- 
mon horse sense, knows absolutely from all 
the lessons of past experience that there 
are certain fundamental laws, like the 
law of gravity, for instance, that are 
basic. Laws that have been established 
by Almighty God, and therefore, can- 
not be changed. 



The Executive Mind 121 

The seK-dependent man, therefore, is 
the man who recognises these funda- 
mental laws, and utilises them positively 
for his own benefit, and as far as he may, 
for the benefit of civilisation; at the same 
time, he believes thoroughly in his ^^ME." 
He depends on himself in every emer- 
gency. He knows to the full extent of his 
mind power, that, given the same en- 
vironmental opportunities, and the same 
educational advantages, he himseK can 
accomplish as much as any other human 
being. 

Being firmly committed to this notion, 
then, he sets out to create for himself, 
always remembering it is better late 
than never, such an environment, educa- 
tional and otherwise, as will permit him 
to contend successfully with the strongest 
of God^s creatures. Such a man as we 
have just described, is the ideally self- 
dependent man. Now there are all 
grades of self-dependent men, ranging 
from the ideal downward, and you may 
put it down as a conservative statement 



122 Memory and the Executive Mind 

that in just the order that they exhibit 
this quality of self-confidence, in just 
that order will they rank on the ladder 
of success. 

Now here is an important question: 
Are some men born with a goodly supply 
of self-reliance, and others with none? 

The answer is emphatically No! This 
is a question that any man may answer 
for himself with a little observation. 
Notice, if you will, two babes of the same 
age playing together. Is the one more 
self-confident than the other? Well, you 
will probably observe no difference, but 
if you think you do, then simply continue 
the observation, if you have the oppor- 
tunity, until the children have grown to 
manhood. It is an even bet that the one 
which in childhood apparently exhibited 
the most self-reliance, will become the 
man with a decidedly small amount of 
that vital quality. On the other hand, 
the little fellow who apparently lacked 
in self-dependence, very probably at man- 



The Executive Mind 123 

hood is noted by all for his splendid sup- 
ply of that quahty. 

No! SeK-confidence is not born in 
the child. It is developed, and the de- 
velopment begins whenever the individual 
from one cause or another desires it to 
begin. 

How can it best be developed? 
^^ . ^ ^. The rules for the de- 
Methods Of ..elopment of self-con- 
Development: g^^^^^ ^^^^ ^1^^^^^ 

resemble those applying to persistence, 
which we have already discussed. The 
first step is to begin training your mind 
to see and realise the wonderful possibili- 
ties that your life presents. It begins 
with introspection. Look inwardly at 
yourself. See what a wonderful machine 
you really are. Remember that you are 
made in the image of your Creator. Bear 
in mind that no other species of life is so 
favored. 

If you are a specimen of the highest 
form of life, is it not plausible to believe 



124 Memory and the Executive Mind 

that you are as well qualified in every 
particular as any other human shape 
that may exist? And is it not quite as 
probable that you yourself have the 
ability to accomplish in the same degree 
that any other human being may ac- 
complish? Is it not perfectly necessary, 
even patriotic, that you have some faith 
in yourseK? Can you not see from the 
many examples around you that the 
world will shun you as an object devoid 
of worth, the very moment you show a 
disposition to underrate yourself? If 
you answer these questions truthfully 
to yourself, you will immediately see the 
importance of beginning to have an opin- 
ion of yourself, commensurate with the 
high destiny you should achieve. 

Believe that you can develop the art 
of conversation as well as any of your 
fellows! 

Believe that you can write a letter as 
good as any of your contemporaries! 

Believe that you can read literature, 



The Executive Mind 125 

if you are given the opportunity, with 
the same facihty that well educated in- 
dividuals have developed! 

Believe that you can acquire a knowl- 
edge of your native language, equal to 
that possessed by any of your acquaint- 
ances! 

Believe that you can form the study 
habit to a high degree! 

Believe that you can form other useful 
habits more easily than bad ones! 

Believe that you can be temperate in 
all things! 

Believe that you can be enslaved by 
no vice of any description whatsoever! 

Believe that you can be virtuous, clean, 
and noble; not only in all of your activ- 
ities, but in your aspirations as well! 

Believe that you can acquire a first-rate 
education, and then show your mind 
that you have sufficient confidence in its 
ability to accomplish this, by getting 
started toward the acquirement of an 
education! 



126 Memory and the Executive Mind 

Believe that you can make a success of 
your chosen life work, if it has already 
been selected, or if you have not yet de- 
cided what you will follow, 

Believe that you can make a selection 
as good as that which any other human 
being can make! 

Believe that you can advance through- 
out your career! 

Believe that you can develop yourseK to 
such an extent that you wiU be honored 
by those with whom you come in con- 
tact! 

And finally, believe with all your heart 
that you can become a power, and an in- 
fluence for good among men! 

Start believing in your ability to ac- 
complish the little things, and then grad- 
ually climb from the lowly to the sublime. 

Believe absolutely in yourseK at all 
times! You should be your own best 
friend, for only in this manner may you 
be absolutely unselfish, as the world uses 
that term. 



The Executive Mind 127 

You are the possessor of a soul, God- 
given, and immortal, and it is your duty 
to yourself, to humanity, and to the God 
that made you, to do everything possible; 
to use all the strength of mind and body 
at your command, to the end that you 
may fashion a temple capable of giving 
that soul the shelter and environment 
which is its absolute due! 

Believe then, dear reader, in yourself. 

The world will doubtless discount your 

own opinion of your ability at the best. 

It is absolutely important, therefore, 

that you, yourself, give to yourself the 

benefit of that confidence in yourself 

which will enable you to rise and to grow 

throughout your days on earth. 

^ .. Having now discussed 

Concentrative .i v.. n 

^ the qualities of per- 

^' sistence and seK-de- 

pendence, we find ourselves, logically, 

face to face with another vital quality 

which we dare not overlook in this treatise. 

We refer to the much abused subject of 



128 Memory and the Executive Mind 

Concentration. In our use of the term 
here, we refer to concentration as a dis- 
tinct mental quality, and therefore our 
treatment of the subject has to do entire- 
ly with concentrativeness, as applied to 
attention and mental action. Used in 
this sense, the ability to concentrate 
means, the ability to concenter all thought 
and attention in a given period of time, 
on a given subject. 

Now an individual may be persistent, 
and he may believe in himself thoroughly, 
but if his mental energy is not system- 
atised; if it is not concentrated, his mental 
force is discharged at random in numer- 
ous directions throughout his mind, and 
he gets everjrwhere in general, but no- 
where in particular. He is in a similar 
predicament, indeed, so far as accom- 
plishment goes, to the hunter, who fires 
his gun at random when he sees a flock 
of birds, and naturally fails to bring 
down any game. His shots scatter too 
widely, his gun having been discharged 



The Executive Mind 129 

aimlessly, and the hunter trusting ab- 
solutely to chance, accomplishes nothing. 

Now the mind which is unable to con- 
centrate its action on the matter in hand, 
discharges its energy aimlessly, and as 
the careless hunter did, trusts to luck or 
ta chance for accompUshment. Needless 
to say, no man ever achieved success in a 
given line unless he was able to bring 
practically all of liis mental energy to 
bear on a given subject for a particular 
period of time. 

Concentration of thought explains all 
scientific invention of this and every age. 
It explains every book that was ever 
written. It explains the wonderful ad- 
vance in medicine, and indeed, of all 
sciences and arts. 

If you would do something exceedingly 
worth while, you must equip yourseK 
with this valuable quality; but, fortu- 
nately for you, and for all of us, mental 
concentration is simply a habit, which 
may be acquired like any other habit. 



130 Memoby and the Executive Mind 

excepting that it can be developed even 
more easily than the average habit, re- 
quiring, as it does, only careful attention 
to detail. 

We have mentioned thus far, perhaps, 
so many things that go to make up the 
Executive Mind, that the reader may 
possibly feel a trifle discouraged, and 
even fear it may be a little too much for 
him. Accordingly, right at this juncture, 
we wish to interrupt our discussion of 
Concentration sufficiently long to say 
to any who may read these lines, that 
everything we have discussed, from the 
development of memory up to and in- 
cluding concentration, may be developed, 
and developed easily. Furthermore, the 
suggestions all represent logical steps in 
the organisation of mental capacity, and 
they all dovetail, as it were, into each 
other; so much so, in fact, that they are 
almost inseparable companions, and if 
you acquire one of them well, the others fall 
into line, and follow, as a matter of course. 



The Executive Mind 131 

Therefore, there can be absolutely no 
cause for discouragement. On the con- 
trary, at this stage in the proceedings, the 
individual should be buoyed up tre- 
mendously by the hope that must have 
been instilled in his breast. The rules 
laid down in this volume are easy to fol- 
low, and just as surely as you live, if 
followed, they v/ill beyond all peradven- 
ture of a doubt, lead you to better things. 
Let us now continue the discussion of 
concentration. 

Have you ever noticed that within your 
mind, at a given time, many, many 
thoughts, whole troops of them, in fact, 
are battling amongst themselves for pre- 
cedence? Have you ever noticed that 
when you wished to consider a certain 
problem, or situation, mental, or other- 
wise, all kinds of thoughts, good, bad and 
indifferent, insisted on presenting them- 
selves, rushing backward and forward, 
crisscross and in every other direction, 
throughout your mentality? Have you 



132 Memory and the Executive Mind 

ever had the experience, when you lay- 
down on your pillow at night, doing your 
best to sleep, of having all sorts of 
thoughts come racing through your mind 
at the same moment? 

These are doubtless experiences com- 
mon to all of us, and the only reason they 
are common, in any degree, is simply be- 
cause one may never hope to develop 
mental concentration to the ideal degree; 
it may be developed, however, and easily, 
to a tremendously practical point, and it 
is developed to that point by all those 
who labor in a pronouncedly successful 
manner in any given direction. 

In your mind there is a central stage, 
as it were, a sort of limelight area, and 
in this area all problems must be worked 
out. At the same time there is a back- 
ground; a sort of an edge; an outward 
border to your mind; a sort of a second- 
ary area, and it is here that incidental 
thoughts make their rendezvous, and it 
is from here that they are continually en- 



The Executive Mind 133 

deavoring to force their way into the 
spothght. 

Now, a well organised mind ; a thorough- 
ly executive mind, is the mind that can 
take up thoughts one at a time, put them 
under the limelight in this central area; 
analyse them pro and con; weigh them, 
and measure them ever so carefully, until 
the intellect is ready to render its decision 
for or against a certain plan of action, or 
a certain method of operation. 

The well organised mind can occupy 
itself exclusively with those particular 
thoughts which it wishes to examine 
carefully, at the same time, being able to 
successfully throw all of the several in- 
truding thoughts out to the secondary 
area, into the background, where they 
may not have a damaging effect upon 
the particular matter in hand. 

Now we can give you the comfort that 
goes with knowing that concentration is 
a quality which is never inherited 5 but 
as we mentioned above, like all those 



134 Memory and the Executive Minb 

qualities we have discussed before, it 
must be developed, and it can be gained 
in absolutely no other manner. 

^ T-o Concentration of 
How C^ It Be ^j^^^gj^^ ^^^ probably 
Acquired. ^^ developed more 

easily than any other one mental quality, 
for the simple reason that there are so 
many opportunities presented for its prac- 
tice in the experiences of the average man. 
Here again, however, the will power of the 
individual plays an important role. 

You may begin practicing concentra- 
tion at any moment, and on almost any 
subject. Try it in this manner: Fas- 
ten your mind on some subject; Woman 
Suffrage, for instance; now decide in your 
mind that you are going to think on that 
subject alone, to the exclusion of aU others, 
for thirty minutes, or if this is too long to 
begin with, for ten minutes, or even for 
five minutes; now take out your watch; 
note the time carefully, and then start 
to thinking about every possible phase 



The Executive Mind 135 

of Woman Suffrage (of course, the reader 
will understand that he may select any- 
subject he chooses, this subject being 
simply suggested for illustration) ; think, 
now, of absolutely nothing but the subject 
at hand; Woman Suffrage; Woman Suf- 
frage; Woman Suffrage; Woman Suffrage. 
You will note dozens of other thoughts 
trying to steal their way to the center 
of the stage, but you must be on your 
guard, and repel them and force them 
again out to the border edge. Refuse to 
have anything to do with them for ten 
minutes. 

Now, after you have practiced this ex- 
periment, try another of a similar kind. 
Then another, and another, and so on. 
After a certain length of time, you will 
be startled at the tremendous improve- 
ment you have made, and the im- 
provement will come in a very short 
while. Even a week's time is suffi- 
cient to show splendid results. It is 
better to begin experimenting with pleas- 



136 Memory and the Executive Mind 

ant subjects. Some subjects attract you 
more than others. Accordingly, begin 
with them. Base Ball, perhaps; an in- 
vitation to attend a dinner party, which 
you may have just received. Start with 
any subject that is interesting on its face, 
then gradually begin taking up the more 
complex subjects. Subjects that prima 
facie have little attraction for you. You 
will be surprised at the development of 
concentration which these experiences 
will produce. After a little while you 
will have so disciplined your mind that 
you will find yourself able to think con- 
tinuously, intelligently, and consistent- 
ly, on any subject you may wish to con- 
sider. 

Now when you have developed the 
ability to concentrate your thought, to 
concentrate your whole mental energy on 
one line of thought, you will have de- 
veloped the capacity to give the world 
the best of which you are capable; and 
now if your mind has been trained care- 



The Executive Mind 137 

fully in the other directions mentioned in 
this volume, you certainly will have be- 
come one man in a thousand, and life will 
hold for you tremendous possibilities. 
Try this out. It is worth your most care- 
ful attention. When you have developed 
the ability to concentrate that tremen- 
dous amount of mental energy with which 
your mind is charged, and when you can 
start it moving consistently and ener- 
getically in a given direction, you will be 
enabled to do things in the world that 
will contribute tremendously to its bet- 
terment and to your own happiness. 

^, . , The advantage of con- 

The Advantage , . . . . , 

. tmuous activity, men- 

^' tal and physical, is 

that the individual never has time to get 
lazy, and if he never gets lazy, he will al- 
ways be busy, and if a man is always 
busy, he has Uttle time to worry, and fret, 
and get his mind into the habit of dwelling 
on thoughts that are unworthy of him. 
Therefore, in concluding this chapter, 



138 Memory and the Executive Mind 

we would especially urge every man to 
lead an active life. The old maxim, 
' 'Idleness breeds crime/' holds as true 
today as it ever did, but not only that; we 
all know definitely now that the inactive 
man invariably dies early, and we know 
also definitely that his mind invariably 
tends to a much greater degree of weak- 
ness than the mind of the active man. 
Furthermore, the inactive man can never, 
never hope to get the rich experiences 
out of life that come to the possession of 
his industrious brother. 

In short, without discussing the subject 
to any great extent, there is every thing to 
be said in favor of leading an active life, 
while there is not one single argument 
against it. Accordingly, give your mind 
and body no opportunity to rust. Keep 
them employed, and they will reward you 
in the long run by steering you clear of 
iUness, and by refraining from dissolution 
much longer than would otherwise be 
true. Be active then. Refuse to become 



The Executive Mind 139 

a mass of Indolence ! Work and conscien- 
tious endeavor are really the bone and 
sinew of existence! 



CHAPTER IV 

ADDITIONAL HELPS 

The Purposeful Did you ever stand at 
Character: the seaside and watch 

a great ocean steam- 
ship come plowing her way proudly 
through the foam, just arriving from some 
distant land? 

And do you remember the thrill of sen- 
timent that stole over you when you 
thought of the thousands of miles of vast 
expanse that gallant vessel had just 
covered? 

And have you not wondered how that 
craft, bearing among her passengers, as 
she doubtless did, some beloved friend of 
yours, managed to find her way from 
across the seas, to you, standing there at 
the dock, awaiting her coming? 

Well, one quality explains it all : PUR- 
POSE! Purpose in the mind of the man 



The Executive Mind 141 

responsible for the vesseFs movements. 
This explains why a ship may leave 
Liverpool on a given day, and a few days 
later, after having crossed thousands of 
miles of ocean, arrive in New York 
Harbor. 

The Captain has a distinct Objective 
Point in view when he leaves Liverpool; 
that Objective Point is New York, and 
nothing short of that goal will accomplish 
the purpose in his mind. 

Now just in like manner must any man 
have a purpose in view if he would attain 
any success in life worth while, and the 
man with a purposeful character is the 
man who always starts out with a partic- 
ular aim in view. 

He means to accomplish a given result, 
and he proposes to hazard everything that 
he may with honor hazard, rather than be 
thwarted in the accomplishment of that 
purpose. He is a dreamer of dreams. 
He has visions before his mind at all times; 
mental pictures featuring the goal which 



142 Memory and the Executive Mind 

spells success, and he has determined in 
his own mind that he can never with 
honor stop short of that goal. He is pur- 
poseful to the last degree, and he becomes 
resourceful in figuring out ways and means 
for accomplishing the particular thing he 
has set out to do. 

Did you ever stop to think that no 
progress could be made, were it not for 
the dreamers? Could we ever have had 
wireless telegraphy, airships, or the many 
other useful innovations that have startled 
the dwellers in this glorious twentieth 
century, had it not been for men of sterling 
character, who saw visions? Men who 
saw in their mind's eye objects beneficial 
to life's civilisation, never viewed before, 
or if viewed, never wrought in actuality? 
No, without the dreamers these things 
were impossible, but mark you this, the 
only dreamers worth while are those who 
make their dreams come true! Accord- 
ingly, we can now define with accuracy, 
the purposeful man: He is a dreamer 



The Executive Mind 143 

who makes his dreams come true. He 
forms a mental picture of some particular 
advantageous result, and his character 
is purposeful to such a degree that he im- 
mediately starts working in the direction 
of the accomplishment of that particular 
result, and he keeps right on until he has 
consummated what was originally but a 
vision in his mind. 

Now, every man, regardless of his par- 
ticular sphere in life, has dreams, and 
dreams may take all sorts of shapes. 

The humble apprentice, working in 
the machine shop, sees visions of having 
a great mechanical establishment of his 
own. 

The Clerk, in the Dry Goods Store, has 
visions of one day becoming a Merchant 
Prince. 

The News Boy, on the street, dreams 
that he may one day be a Captain of 
Industry, with millions to spend as he may 
see fit. 

The Young Man, in High School, 



144 Memoky and the Executive Mind 

dreams of a literary career that may yield 
him honors and material wealth, or he 
may dream of a professional career that is 
decidedly inviting. 

And so we could enumerate thousands 
and thousands of different forms these 
dreams may take. It matters not what 
shape they may assume. It is only neces- 
sary that they be honorable, and that the 
things dreamed of be ultimately worthy 
of accomplishment. 

If it is worthy, the purposeful man 
will start immediately toward making his 
particular dream come true, and he will 
never falter; never waver, but wiU keep 
going straight ahead until he has accom- 
plished his purpose. 

Now, right here is an important thing 
to remember: No man may be success- 
ful in this complex life of ours unless he 
respects himself. He must at all times 
preserve with the utmost fortitude his 
own self-respect. If he would do this 
then, he does not dare to fail. He must 



The Executive Mind 145 

succeed at all events, because once he has 
failed, his belief in his ability to achieve 
is decidedly lessened, and he respects 
himself after the failure decidedly less 
than he did before. 

This means that beginning then, he 
starts downward instead of continuing 
the upward march. Therefore, he must 
never fail. Accordingly, the purposeful 
man, while dreaming to be sure, will at 
the same time, never attempt to execute 
a dream, and bring it to a living reality 
if he knows on the very face of the thing 
that it can never be accomplished. He 
dares take no chance of losing his self- 
respect. Accordingly, he selects his 
problems carefully; he always brings his 
very best judgment to bear; he is neither 
hasty nor impulsive. There must always 
be some chance for success in a particular 
line of conduct. 

If there is a chance, however, even 
though it may be decidedly slim, the pur- 
poseful man will never rest content until 



146 Memory and the Executive Mind 

he has taken that chance, and he will 

persevere and strive with might and 

main, using every means within his power, 

never relaxing one jot until he has forced 

his dream to become a real actual live 

reality! 

^, ^ , If one would have a 

The Develop- j? i u ^ 

. -^ purposeml character, 

ment of Pur- , u u u - i, 
he should begm by 

^ * cultivating firmness. 

He should not be lax or vacillating. He 
should ever be alert and ready for the 
battle. He should start something; start 
somewhere. He should have fixed prin- 
ciples in life, and he should stand at all 
times by those principles. Generally 
speaking, that man who is persistent is 
likewise purposeful, and the two qualities 
are developed similarly; accordingly, since 
we have discussed the development of 
persistence at length, it is necessary for us 
to say only a few words on the develop- 
ment of purpose. 

We do, however, wish to point out a 



The Executive Mind 147 

difference between persistence and pur- 
pose. A man might be persistent and still 
not plan far ahead. 

The purposeful man, on the other hand, 
will always figure out ways and means 
for accomplishing certain ends, days and 
months, and even years in advance. Thq 
purposeful man looks far ahead. He lives 
far into the future, and while he enjoys 
the 'Today'' that is before him, he never- 
theless plans and works for an even bright- 
er and more glorious 'Tomorrow." 

The purposeful man then, in short, is 
the man who plans his life's work far 
ahead, and having planned it, having 
figured out for himself a goal worth striv- 
ing for, he brings all of his powers of per- 
sistence to bear on his daily conduct, and 
battles onward and onward until he ar- 
rives at his destination. 

^, ^ ^ The men and women 

The Power of , . . „ 

. ,. who have given all 

Imagmation: , xi, i jj 

^ languages the splendid 

literature which is particularly the herit- 



148 Memory and the Executive Mind 

age of the present generation, have been 
gifted with the power of imagination to 
such an extent that they have Mghtened 
the burdens of all of us, and to that extent 
at least, have made the world a better 
place in which to live. Not only in liter- 
ature, however, is imagination an impor- 
tant element, but it enters also into all 
mechanical improvement and, indeed, 
into all progressive thought and move- 
ment. Furthermore, a fertile imagina- 
tion goes a long way toward making ex- 
istence worth while. It permits one to 
enjoy many rich experiences in life, denied 
to the unimaginative. It helps the in- 
dividual out of many unpleasant situ- 
ations, provided his purpose is properly 
developed. 

Unless one has imagination, he never 
ean put himself in the other fellow's place. 
He never will have the opportunities to 
broaden and to grow, which are so bounti- 
fully supplied to those who cultivate this 
quality. 



The Executive Mind 149 

Good literature is a powerful stimulus 
to the development of imagination, and of 
course with our splendid library f aciUties^ 
is now within the reach of everybody. 
Music is a power for imaginative develop- 
ment, and every one should cultivate a 
liking for it. If you do not play or sing 
yourself, cultivate a liking for the per- 
formance of others — ^it will broaden you. 

Good, wholesome plays stimulate the 
imagination to a tremendous degree, as 
do also lectures, especially lectures on 
travel. Traveling itself is, of course, a 
good imagination tonic for those who may 
have the opportunity to enjoy it. 

Generally speaking, a keen interest 
taken in all of life's worthy activities, will 
aid tremendously in developing imagina- 
tion. 

Finally, imagination can only be de- 
veloped through thoughtfulness; this fact 
becomes at once apparent. Therefore, as 
we have often said previously, it is im- 
portant for the individual to think care- 



150 Memory and the Executive Mind 

fully over the various experiences en- 
countered in his daily life 5 for along with 
many other valuable qualities, imagina- 
tion is largely developed in this maimer. 
^ , . ^ Another quality which 
Developing En- contributes tremen- 
thusiasm, and ^^^-^ ^^^^^^ ^^ .^^_ 

the Inspira- j- -j u 

^ Jl dividuals success is 

tional Manner: ^^^^ ^^^ ^ ^^^^^_ 

siasm, and enthusiasm means simply the 
ability to enthuse; to glow with pleasure 
over and on account of some particular 
thing in mind. 

The enthusiastic man is always opti- 
mistic, and never knows defeat; would not 
indeed, recognise it, were he to come in 
contact with it face to face. This being 
true, he never, never, never, can develop 
pessimism. He lives for the joy of living. 
He sees the doughnut, but takes no notice 
of the hole therein. The world for him 
is always working toward better things. 
He beams. He smiles. He gets pleasure 
out of rendering assistance to his friends. 



The Executive Mind 151 

To say it all in a word, he is an individual 
welcomed everywhere with glad acclaim, 
while his opposite is as cordially tabooed. 
Now enthusiasm comes only from in- 
terest. If you can develop interest in 
your particular line of work, or in the 
operation of some particular machine or 
agency, or in the development of some 
ideal; It matters not what particular 
situation may attract your interest, if it 
is attracted at all, you can become en- 
thusiastic and the degree to which you 
may develop your enthusiasm will depend 
entirely on the amount of interest you are 
able to bring to bear on the particular 
thing in hand. If you would develop 
enthusiasm, and become a shining light 
rather than a bunch of gloom, always in 
darkness yourseh, and constantly casting 
a shadow over the vision of your friends 
whenever you chance to come into their 
presence, begin immediately to take an 
interest in things, no matter how small or 
insignificant they may be. If it develops 



152 Memory and the Executive Mind 

that a particular situation is not worthy 
of your interest, you can easily cast it 
from your mind, and it will have taken 
you no longer to have viewed the subject 
for a little while interestedly than to have 
gazed upon it for the same length of time 
disinterestedly. 

If you are interested you will become 
enthusiastic about it, and vice versa. 
Take a keen interest in life and, the 
first thing you know, you will have devel- 
oped enthusiasm to a tremendous degree. 
There are so many things in the world 
worth while ; so many wonderful, wonder- 
ful things that it is impossible to under- 
stand how any individual can pass through 
his allotted time on earth without being 
pronouncedly enthusiastic. Again, it is 
one's duty to cultivate the inspirational 
manner! 

Have you ever noticed the depressing 
effect some individuals have upon you 
when they come into your presence, and 
have you not noted how splendidly you 



The Executive Mind 153 

suddenly feel when a different sort of 
person with a smile and a hearty hand- 
shake, and a reassuring word of greeting, 
comes up to you? There is no doubt but 
that you have had such experiences as 
this. We all are acquainted with the man 
of sunshiny disposition; the man who al- 
ways inspires pleasure for those with 
whom he comes in contact, and we are all 
familiar, we dare say, with the individual 
who always appears on the scene with a 
grouch; the chronic kicker. The former 
sees all existence in beautiful color, and 
life has a rosy hue, while the latter, so 
far as real living is concerned, is as bad 
as if he were in constant mourning, and 
sees all existence painted only in somber 
black. The man with the inspirational 
manner is the man v/hom we are always 
glad to welcome. He always leaves us 
feeling a little better than when he joined 
us. He has no trouble in succeeding, 
because his very existence is a constant 
romp of success. He eats it; drinks it; 



154 Memory and the Executive Mind 

dreams it, and his manner is contagious 
to such a degree that he forces us to feel 
strong and capable, by his very contact 
with us. 

The ability to 'impart inspiration comes 
largely from clean thinking, and of course 
from developed enthusiasm and optimism. 

We shall never grow tired asking you 
to read during spare time, as much good, 
clean, literature, as possible. Read it, 
but read it understandingly, and work up 
interest in what you read, for we may 
repeat here that no man can ever hope 
to be inspirational with himself, or with 
his fellows, unless, indeed, he has himself 
developed the ability to take a vivacious 
grip on life, and to enjoy existence to the 
full. The inspirational manner makes a 
strong appeal to those around you. It 
makes of every man a friend, and ad- 
vertises for you, your abilitj^, and your 
worth, like nothing else can. 

You may put it down as a dead moral 
certainty that the world will be friendly 



The Executive Mind 155 

to you while you are here, and cherish 
your memory long, long after you are 
gone, if you possess an enthusiastic, in- 
spirational manner. 

On the other hand, if you are sour, and 
frowny, and insignificant (for that al- 
ways follows), most people will try to 
keep aw^ay from you, because of your 
depressing effect upon them; and after 
you are gone, they will seek to forget you 
as quickly as possible. 

We beseech you, therefore, to culti- 
vate enthusiasm. Take an interest in 
things. Be hopeful, always look at the 
bright side. If it is cloudy today, remem- 
ber the sun will most probably be shining 
tomorrow, and in any event will be shin- 
ing at an early date. Be cheerful. Keep 
sweet, and you will live happily. 



CHAPTER V 

ENLISTING THE CO-OPERATION 

OF MEN 

Introductory: Up to this point we 
have discussed the Ex- 
ecutive Mind only in so far as the develop- 
ment thereof is concerned. We have given 
our attention wholly in the preceding 
chapters on the subject to the discussion 
of qualities, entering into the formation 
of the Executive Mind, and to the best 
development of those qualities. 

Now it will be readily understood by aU 
that while the Executive Mind in and of 
itself is a possession that every individual 
should treasure as a great asset, and as a 
source of real pleasure, at the same time 
in and of itself, it is conceivable that such 
a mind might be developed within the 
individual and still not further his ma- 
terial progress to any considerable degree. 



The Executive Mind 157 

It is conceivable, in other words, that such 
a mind might be developed and then after 
development serve the individual only 
by providing for him such a mental at- 
mosphere as would bring a cultural en- 
vironment to his existence, and thereby 
contribute to the joy of living. 

While it is conceivable to imagine a 
mind having been so developed, only to 
remain as a useless possession, so far as 
pushing the individual forward is con- 
cerned, such a thing is beyond the range of 
probability and even almost beyond pos- 
sibility. However, in order that the sub- 
ject may be properly treated in every 
phase, we propose to devote this chapter 
to the suggestion of ways and means 
whereby the Executive Mind may be 
used in developing material success for 
the individual. 

In this day we hear much of the term, 
Executive ability, and when we desire to 
pay a man a special compliment in the com- 
mercial world, we say that he is possessed 



158 Memory and the Executive Mind 

of executive ability. Now the man who 
possesses executive abihty has not only 
developed an executive mind to a high 
degree, but he also understands how to 
use the executive mind after it has been 
developed. He starts it to working for 
him. He turns it loose on his problems. 
He uses it as indeed he would use a me- 
chanical tool, purely as a means to an end 
and the end wdth him is material success. 
Now if we wish to make the possession 
of an executive mind yield practical and 
material benefit, we positively must be 
able to enlist the cooperation of men. In 
union there is strength. An army of a 
hundred thousand men can achieve results 
that a lone man in his individual capacity 
never may hope to achieve. Therefore, 
the possessor of an executive mind must, 
first of all, in working out his destiny, 
cultivate the ability to enlist the co- 
operation of men whose efforts his well 
organised mentality may thus be enabled 
to direct. 



The Executive Mind 159 

In this chapter we propose to discuss 

methods of enlisting such cooperation. 

•r* ji ^ r^£ The ideally broad- 
Breadth Of ^.^^^^ individual is 

the one who has de- 
veloped a breadth of view, ranging from 
the lowest imaginable status to the high- 
est. The man with the ideally developed 
breadth of mind would be the man who 
could put himself in the place of the low- 
liest of the human species one moment, 
and in the next be able to ascend to the 
position of the individual occupying the 
highest possible station in life, at the same 
time being able to view dispassionately 
and understanding^ all possible inter- 
mediate stations of existence. Of course 
we hasten to say that it is impossible for 
any man to ever reach the ideal in broad- 
mindedness, but it is possible and indeed 
easy to approximate the ideal; to con- 
stantly strive for it, and in the end to 
achieve a high degree of proficiency in 
that direction. 



160 Memory and the Executive Mind 

If you would succeed in gaining the co- 
operation of men, without which material 
success is impossible, you must absolute- 
ly be broad and sympathetic in your 
views. You dare not be a snob, nor at 
the same time may you adopt the role of 
a beggar. You must be independent, 
and self-respectful, but you must also 
cultivate sympathy for all members of 
the human family regardless of their par- 
ticular stations in life. You must learn 
to respect other people and their wishes 
quite as much as you respect yourself and 
your own. You must develop the ability 
to be firm when you know you are in the 
right, but with equal facility, the ability 
to yield gracefully to the other fellow's 
view when you find him to be in the right. 

Generally speaking, if it makes no par- 
ticular difference to your welfare, it is de- 
cidedly better to let the other fellow have 
his way, thereby pleasing him by your 
action, and at the same time suffering no 
inconvenience on your own account. 



The Executive Mind 161 

If you would develop breadth of view, 
you must study the condition of the man 
who is down as well as that of the man 
who is up. Try to get the view point of 
each. Put yourseK in the place of the 
man with whom you are dealing, regard- 
less of whether he is above or below you 
on the social scale. 

After you have become certain of his 
position; after you understand, to a great 
extent, his shortcomings, his good qual- 
ities, his needs, and his wishes, yield to 
him in so far as you can consistently and 
with seK-respect, and in so far as it is to 
his own good. In practicing such a rule 
of conduct, you may rest assured you will 
be able to attract men to you. They will 
honor you, and be glad to serve you. 

And now, when you have secured the 
cooperation of men, material success is 
assured, for your mind being well organ- 
ised and trained, that fact will soon be- 
come known to those who labor with you, 
and through them, will soon be adver- 



162 Memory and the Executive Mind 

tised to the world. When the world un- 
derstands that you not only have an ex- 
ecutive mind, but that you are broad and 
tolerant as well, and that you have the 
ability to attract men to your standard, 
it will recognise your worth and draft 
you for the solution of its gigantic prob- 
lems. 

To develop broad-mindedness then, be 
a close student of human nature. Draw 
always on your imagination. When you 
see a beggar in the street, imagine your- 
self in his place for the nonce, and for a 
brief space, live his life; likewise, when 
you see the man of millions in his gilded 
carriage, fancy yourself in his place, with 
his particular problems to solve. 

Such a program, consistently practiced, 
will not only develop breadth of mind 
within you, but at the same time it will 
divorce your life from emptiness and fill 
it with v^arm human interest. 

Yea, it will do more. It will make you 
a consummate master of that subtle 



The Executive Mind 163 

quality known as TACT, with which 
everything in the way of a worldly career 
is possible, and without which there is 
absolutely no chance for conspicuous 
success. 

If you are tactful you can get men to do 
things for you even though they be op- 
posed to your ideas. Men will yield to 
you, and you may have your way in every 
situation if you but possess tact. If you 
do not possess it, there is no possibility of 
your ever being able to enlist successfully 
the cooperation of men. 

Observe and study human nature care- 
fully, and in the end you will have de- 
veloped such a breadth of vision as will 
make you appreciative to the needs of all 
classes, which, when it becomes known, 
will be bound to be the means of placing 
tremendous power in your hands. 

In our use of the term 

Ki . "niaterial success,^' we 

^ * have in view only such 

a material success as is gained legitimate- 



164 Memory and the Executive Mind 

ly, and that permits an accompanying 
peace of mind. This leads us therefore 
to the statement that no material success, 
such as we have in mind, and the only 
kind that we can conscientiously recom- 
mend to our readers, was ever gained dis- 
honestly. Accordingly, we hasten to sug- 
gest that perhaps the brightest jewel in 
the crown of the successful man is his 
reputation for honesty. 

No dishonest man can succeed. There 
is no such thing as dishonest success. 
Such a statement is guilty of language 
perversion. Dishonesty differs from suc- 
cess as much as darkness differs from the 
glorious sunlight. The man who has 
properly developed the Executive Mind 
has learned long before he comes to the 
point where he is entrusted with the com- 
mand of men, that ^'honesty is the best 
policy,'' and that without honesty there 
remains only failure. 

Therefore, if you would enlist the co- 
operation of men, and if you would be able 
to continue enjoying the confidence of 



The Executive Mind 165 

men, be honest and fair with all men. 
Strive for no end that is mean and con- 
temptible. Do not permit yourself to be 
tempted to steal. Remember always that 
dishonesty means theft in some direction 
or another. Do not, we adjure you, ever 
permit yourself to be bribed or corrupted 
by the love of gold. 

Be true to your conscience regardless 
of what may happen. Let honesty and 
straightforwardness take a most promi- 
nent place in your life conduct, and when 
the world sees that the v/onderful virtue 
of Honesty is a possession of yours, you 
shall never lack for the cooperation of 
men. You shall never lack opportunities 
for success, and having organised your 
mind till it has become executive in the 
true sense, you must in the end be suc- 
cessful. 

r^ ^ « ^ T^ O116 of the most mis- 
So Called Per- i ^ i i 

1 Tw understood phrases m 

sonal Mag- ^j^^ English language 

is that known as Per- 
sonal Magnetism, and the quality pos- 



166 Memory and the Executive Mind 

sessed by an individual, which that term 
is supposed to describe, is one of the sim- 
plest imaginable when properly under- 
stood, and at the same time, one which 
may be easily developed. 

We shall proceed to define Personal Mag- 
netism without unnecessary delay, and the 
simplicity of the definition may surprise 
you; it is exact, nevertheless, and will ap- 
ply to every case. Personal Magnetism 
is intense earnestness. It is exactly that, 
and nothing more. 

Just recall to your mind, if you can, an 
example of personal magnetism that has 
come, at some time or another, within the 
scope of your observation, and see if that 
definition does not fill the bill. You 
doubtless have come in contact with many 
individuals (some at least) who, you felt 
sure, were possessed of Personal Magne- 
tism. Their very manner seemed to be- 
speak the possession of that vital quality. 

Now, as you look back, were they not 
in every instance, individuals, who, when 



The Executive Mind 167 

they exercised their so-called magnetic 
powers, became tremendously in earnest? 
Did they not look and speak as if they 
were positively convinced of the correct- 
ness of the position they undertook to oc- 
cupy in your estimation? 

You have attended religious services at 
some church or another, doubtless, where 
the Pastor, who preached the sermon, 
filled your very soul with his words, and 
held you spellbound, your eyes riveted to 
his face, and possibly your mouth half 
open, and you have possibly ejaculated, 
isn't he splendid? 

That man was intensely earnest; tre- 
mendously confident in his demeanor, and 
in his look and action he carried con- 
viction. 

You have often been to the Theater, 
and have been wonderfully affected by 
the superb acting of some of the play- 
ers, and you have doubtless wondered 
at the power they were able to exercise 
over your feelings; the explanation is 



168 Memory and the Executive Mind 

simply, that they were tremendously in 
earnest in portraying the characters they 
represented; so much so, indeed, that they 
seemed to actually live the parts, and they 
probably sent you away from the Theater 
almost believing they really did. 

The same thing is likewise true of 
Political speakers, or Orators of the day, 
whom 3^ou may have heard, but it extends 
through every walk of life as well. 

The Salesman, who sells you something 
against your will. 

The Law^^er, who persuades you his 
client is in the right. 

The Physician, who ministers to you 
w^hen you are in a half dying condition, 
and makes 3^ou believe you are almost 
v^ell. 

Men possessing the so called quality of 
Personal Magnetism may be found every- 
where, and always, wherever they are 
found, their magnetic powers are explain- 
ed absolutely and conclusively by the 
simple statement that they are intensely 



The Executive Mind 169 

interested in their several avocations, and 
do everything they attempt to do in the 
very best possible manner. Needless to 
say, men possessing Personal Magnetism 
are successful in their chosen lines of work. 
This statement needs no argument on our 
part, since you are as familiar with its 
truth as are we. 

A man who is intensely earnest pos- 
sesses such influence over those with 
whom he comes in contact, that he has 
no difficulty whatever in getting them to 
do his bidding. Therefore, such men are 
always successful in enhsting the co- 
operation of men, and they stand out 
strongly as magnificent specimens among 
their fellows. 

Some of our readers 

r^'T l^t. wiU doubtless say, at 

tivate The ^.i.- • ^ •. • n 

this juncture, it is all 

^ ^* very well to talk about 

Personal Magnetism being so simple, but 

the fact remains that some individuals 

have it, while others do not, and we dare 



170 Memory and the Executive Mind 

say, never will nor even may develop the 
quality. We answer all such statements 
with these few blunt words: It is posi- 
tively and absolutely a matter of choice. 

You yourself positively and absolutely 
may possess the power of Personal Mag- 
netism if you will. Take it, or let it alone. 

Now we take it for granted that no man 
could be so short-sighted as not to desire 
the quality of impressiveness if it is to be 
had, and the price is not too great. There- 
fore we propose to explain how the quality 
m.ay be developed, and at decidedly little 
cost. You must develop it as all others 
who possess it, have developed it. 

It is not now, it never has been, nor 
indeed will it ever be born in the indi- 
vidual. It must be cultivated. Our first 
injunction to you in that direction, there- 
fore, is to commence being earnest in 
everything you do. Wlien you talk to a 
friend on any topic whatsoever, talk to 
him earnestly and refuse ever to become 
listless under any circumstances. If you 
are discussing a serious subject, discuss it 



The Executive Mind 171 

earnestly. If you tell a funny story, tell 
it earnestly. If you sing a song, sing it 
earnestly. If you laugh, laugh earnestly. 
If you read the paper, read it earnestly. 
If you write a letter, write it earnestly. 
If you shake hands with a friend, or on 
the occasion of your being presented to a 
new acquaintance, do it earnestly. If 
you work, do your work earnestly, and if 
you play, play earnestly. Seek at all 
times, regardless of what your companions 
may do or think, to do what you do, and 
say w^hat you say, earnestly. Be ever 
and anon intensely earnest. 

Stand for something. Have confi- 
dence in yourself, to be sure, but the 
main thing in this world is to first stand 
yourseK on a set of principles in which 
you have such confidence that you feel 
sure you could defend them through all 
eternity! Then stay by them, never for- 
sake them, earnestly advocate them, and 
refuse to the bitter end to be downed in 
their defense. 

We repeat, first, stand yourself on a set 



172 Memory and the Executive Mind 

of principles in which you have the fullest 
confidence, and then stick to them. Select 
your life work with the same object in 
view. To be earnest in your work, you 
must have confidence in your work; there- 
fore, if you find yourself now laboring 
daily at a vocation in which you have no 
confidence, get out of that particular line 
of employment as quickly as poss ble, and 
choose another that conforms absolutely 
with your views and your principles. 
Be intensely earnest and, as sure as you 
live, you will possess Personal Magnetism; 
furthermore, you will possess it in just 
the same ratio exactly that you are in 
earnest. Always remember, however, 
that Personal Magnetism never shows 
till earnestness has reached the intense 
point. Therefore, we repeat, you must 
be INTENSELY EARNEST in order 
that you may be conspicuous for the 
possession of magnetic power. 

Now while the quality is essentially 
psychological, and a product, therefore, 



The Executive Mind 173 

of the mind, nevertheless little arts may 
be practiced, which, while being absolute- 
ly free from harm, at the same time ad- 
vertise to the world the fact that you are 
a strong character. 

Among these, for instance, are the 
several arts of expression: Cultivate for 
yourself a strong countenance. You may 
just as well have a strong face as one that 
is vacillating and weak. It is simply a 
matter of choice. Look in a mirror some 
time, and look at yourseK seriously. Ex- 
periment, if you please. There is no oc- 
casion to make faces at yourseK, to be 
sure, but you will see directly that certain 
expressions, simple in themselves, and 
had for the asking, give you a decidedly 
more forceful appearance; make an effort 
to secure forceful facial expression then, 
we say in all earnestness. 

You certainly have a right to control 
your own face; why not let it advertise 
to the world for you, then, that you are 
an earnest, purposeful character, and that 



174 Memory and the Executive Mind 

you stand for something? We do not 
mean by this that any man should at- 
tempt to grow old before his time, nor 
indeed that he should become a cross- 
patch in appearance, going through life, 
his face all bewrinkled and awry as if he 
had monopolised all the world's troubles 
since the days of Adam; not a bit of it, 
but while this is true, we do insist with all 
the force at our command that it is un- 
pardonable for any man to go through 
life with a silly, wishy-washy, blank, do- 
nothing expression written over his face! 
There is no good reason for permitting 
your face to misrepresent you to the world! 
Bear in mind always that the eyes are 
the windows of the soul, and when you 
permit them to become expressionless 
and silly, you are positively blasphemous. 
Cultivate earnestness of facial expression, 
but at the same time walk with erect 
carriage and move briskly along. Please 
do not slouch in the street as if you were 



The Executtv^e Mind 175 

intoxicated or walking in your sleep. 
Do not be somnambulistic in your waking 
hours! There is no occasion for adopting 
a shambling, snail pace. Move up! Be 
earnest in your walk! 

Get yourself up in good style. Keep 
your clothes pressed and dusted. Take 
your bath regularly, and do not permit 
your face to go along for days without 
shaving. Stand for something! Be 
something ! 

These are all arts, we say, that will 
contribute tremendously toward your 
pulling power among men, and bear in 
mind all the time that unless you can 
enlist the cooperation of men, there can 
be no conspicuous success for you in this 
world! 

We have discussed Personal Magne- 
tism; we have shown it to be nothing but 
intense earnestness, and now it becomes 
an easy matter to see, in fact, it quite 
naturally follows, that the man who is 



176 Memory and the Executive Mind 

intensely earnest must, perforce, have de- 
veloped a pleasing personality. 

Oh, what a tremendous difference there 
is in the personalities of different individ- 
uals, and they range all the way from 
positive repulsiveness in some, to others 
that seem as near divine as human beings 
may expect to attain in this life! All this 
tremendous range in personality, we say, 
may be explained in terms, one way or 
another, of earnestness and mental culti- 
vation, and when we speak of mental 
cultivation, we do not in any sense of 
the word refer simply to book learning; 
rather do we refer to those qualities pre- 
viously mentioned as the ones which go 
to make up the Executive Mind. 

Be earnest, therefore, is our final sug- 
gestion on this score. Be intensely and 
tremendously in earnest, and just in the 
degree that you are successful in develop- 
ing this quality, will you be the posses- 
sor of Personal Magnetism. 



The Executive Mind 177 

«. , « Up to this point we 
Some Final Sug- , x • j . . 
^ nave tried to suggest 
gestions on . , 
^^ , . to you some ways and 
the Subject . ,. , . ,, 
. •' means tor enlisting the 

of This •• X. r 

^ cooperation oi men. 

^ ' We said at the begin- 

ning of the chapter that no conspicuous 
success would come your way unless you 
could get good men to work with you, 
and now, as we are about to close the 
chapter, we repeat that statement : The 
Cooperation of men is absolutely essential! 
If you would become a Statesman in 
your Commonwealth; if you would be- 
come a successful Physician; a Superin- 
tendent in a factory; a Merchant Prince; 
indeed, if you would become a leader in 
any line of activity, it is absolutely es- 
sential that you surround yourself with 
men who have such confidence in your 
ability, your judgment, and your integ- 
rity, that they are content to follow where 
you lead. Of course, these words are 



178 Memory and the Executive Mind 

directed to the ambitious man. To the 
man who wants to carve out for himself 
a career worth having; to the man, in 
short, who would be a genuine leader, and 
never in the world Vvxre leaders needed in 
all lines of endeavor more than they are 
today. 

In the end, then, you snould make your 
mind executive to the fullest degree pos- 
sible. Naturally you should avail yourself 
of the best teclmical education that lies 
within your power. Book learning, to be 
sure, is not essential. It is simply one of 
the many means at your command which 
may be utilised toward forcing yourseK to 
the top. Get it if you can, but be not 
discouraged if a large amount of it is 
outside your reach. Many of the world^s 
greatest men have not been educated in 
the academic sense, but they have with- 
out exception been individuals who knew 
how to get the cooperation of their fel- 
lows, and they all possessed minds that 
were highly executive. 



The Executive Mind 179 

It only remains for us, then, to suggest 
a few parting words on the subject of this 
chapter. Surround yourself with a cheer- 
ful environment. Make your home life 
happy. If you are married, be a com- 
panion to your children, and a source of 
inspiration and constant assistance to 
your wife. Not only will this conduce 
to your own positive happiness, but at the 
same time, it will advertise you to the 
world as a man worth knowing. 

Be cheerful at all times. Calm and 

sober, be it either in temporary victory or 

defeat. Be sympathetic to all mankind. 

Follow the precepts laid down in this 

chapter, and you may rest assured you 

will always enjoy the confidence of men. 

^ , . , In PART TWO we 

Conclusion of ^^jertook to define the 

Part Two : Executive Mind and to 

point out how it may best be developed. 

How well we have succeeded we leave to 

the judgment of the reader. There is 

much to be said on the subject. If we 



180 Memory and the Executive Mind 

have erred in any respect, it is in that we 
have said too little, rather than too much. 

The Executive Mind is a living force, 
and it is dominant in all the world's 
activities. It positively may be devel- 
oped, and in every case where it exists to- 
day, it has been developed. 

Naturally, as we have had occasion to 
say repeatedly concerning several qual- 
ities mentioned in this volume, it never 
can be developed to the ideal degree, but 
we may always approximate the ideal, 
and continue working toward that goal. 

In concluding, then, the discussion of 
PART TWO, we trust sincerely that its 
reading may have impressed you. All 
that has been said is worth your most 
careful attention, and if the suggestions 
made are followed out in actual practice, 
we assure you by all that makes life worth 
while, you will find yourself richly bene- 
fited. 



PART III 
THE LARGER SUCCESS 



CHAPTER I 

ITS MEANING, AND ARGUMENT 
FOR ITS ATTAINMENT 

An Introduc- In PART ONE of this 
tory Word: volume we devoted our 
attention entirely to 
the subject of Memory and its Cultiva- 
tion. The Conclusion of that subject 
naturally left us on the threshold of the 
discussion of the Executive Mind. Ac- 
cordingly, PART TWO was devoted en- 
tirely to such a discussion. After having 
considered at length the development of 
the Executive Mind, and ways and means 
for using it advantageously in life, we feel 
that the subject which logically follows 
is the one we shall now discuss, THE 
LARGER SUCCESS. 

Success has been defined in many ways, 
and very probably if you were to inves- 
tigate now, no two persons would define 



184 Memoky and the Executive Mind 

it in precisely the same manner. Most 
individuals would include elements omit- 
ted by others, and at the same time omit 
elements included by others. On many 
essentials most people would be agreed, 
but even on basic principles you would 
discover the widest variance. The reason 
is accounted for largely by differences of 
environment. 

A youth brought up in a religiously in- 
tellectual family is apt to define success 
as the more or less successful attainment 
of high ideals. Therefore such a young 
man is most likely to believe that the 
development of a first-class education, 
together with regular attendance at relig- 
ious services, represents success. No 
matter whether he practices such a pro- 
gram or not, it doubtless represents his 
notion of successful living. 

On the other hand a young man may 
be surrounded by an environment which 
suggests the accumulation of money. His 



e 
The Larger Success 185 

people may have been especially successful 
in this direction, and consequently he is 
most likely to believe that the building 
tip of a fortune represents the chief 
element of success. 

Again, a child brought up in a den of 
thieves will take a wholly different view 
from his earliest days; his parents and in- 
timate friends, being successful pickpock- 
ets or burglars themselves, have proba- 
bly taught him that the ability to artistic- 
ally pick the pocket of an individual, and 
to forcefully enter a house, get possession 
of valuables, and disappear without de- 
tection, represent the great things to be 
desired. Under these circumstances that 
child will naturally believe that the great- 
est element of success is represented by the 
ability to pursue the calling of a thief with- 
out getting into the clutches of the law. 

And so we might mention many other 
illustrations that would show as graph- 
ically as these have done, the various in- 



186 Memory and the Executive Mind 

terpretations placed on the word ^ ^Success' ' 
by all sorts of people in all sorts of en- 
vironments. 

Our purpose, in this chapter, is not so 
much to deal with a particular worldly 
success of a particular kind, which bene- 
fits, if at all, only some particular individ- 
ual or set of individuals, but we propose 
rather to discuss and to explain that 
Larger Success which may be applied to 
all classes of worldly success, and the ap- 
plication of the principles of which, would 
absolutely and beyond question benefit 
all the world^s inhabitants, to whatever 
corners of the earth they may be scattered. 

The Larger Success, therefore, we de- 
fine in the following terms : IT IS SUCH 
A PREPARATION OF THE INDIVID- 
UAL AS WILL QUALIFY HIM TO 
TAKE HIS PLACE EFFECTIVELY 
IN THE LARGER LIFE. If this def- 
inition seems a little complex to you now, 
and too general in terms, we can assure 
you it will be cleared up shortly, since we 



The Laeger Success 187 

propose to devote the remainder of this 
chapter to filling in the details. 
. ^,, .. Two httle boys living 

AnlUustotion j^ the same home with 
an an Argu- ^^^ game parents, may 
®^ * be given the same op- 

portunities for education, the same paren- 
tal attention, the same environment, and 
the same surroundings generally; and after 
a while when those boys approach man- 
hood, you will notice frequently that Ihe 
one little fellow becomes the man of splen- 
did character, undoubted integrity, and 
high ideals. Indeed, he emulates the ex- 
ample of the flower, and takes his place 
in the world to add his contribution to its 
happiness. 

The other little boy, likewise, reaches 
manhood's state, but he, unfortunately, 
becomes the human poison vin^, and in- 
stead of contributing a measure of happi- 
ness to the world, adds to its store of 
misery, and often lives, alas, only to lan- 
guish throughout his days in a felon's cell. 



188 Memory and the Executi\^ Mind 

These boys are brothers, and they have 
had the same advantages. Wherein, then, 
hes the tremendous difference between the 
final development of the two? Why does 
the one ne'er do ill, and the other ne'er do 
weU? 

It is because they have responded to 
radically different influences as they jour- 
neyed on their way in the world. 

The one has governed his conduct by 
certain principles gained, in his experi- 
ence, from the teachings of the world, 
while the other has arranged his life's 
program, likewise, in accordance with ex- 
perience that has come his way. 

Now right here we make the chief point 
of the chapter. There are in the world 
entirely too many people constantly 
preaching the doctrine that is embodied 
to a large extent in a certain number of 
statements, such as the following: 

''Have a good time while you are liv- 
ing, for when you are dead you are a long 
time dead." 



The Lakger Success 189 

''Enjoy yourself today, and get all the 
pleasure you can out of life, for no one 
knows what may happen afterwards/^ 

And again, '^I am going to see a good 
time now, and not depend on any here- 
after," etc., etc. 

Statements, in other words, tending to 
cause the youth of the land to doubt 
whether after all there is much in life 
worth while. Statements tending to 
dampen his ardor for a well cultivated 
mind and body, and the pursuit of high 
ideals. Statements, in short, that are 
positively and absolutely without foun- 
dation, and which are injurious to the 
morals of the land to an incalculable extent. 

Now, the two brothers mentioned above 
have each heard these statements. The 
difference in the characters of the two 
men is simply that the one has refused 
absolutely to take any stock whatever, 
in such misrepresentations of fact, while 
the other, unfortunately, has been de- 
ceived by them. 



190 Memory and the Executive Mind 

Now we do not consider it enough to 
simply say that such statements are 
wrong. We do not propose to rest our 
case on the bare statement, for if we did 
that, we might well be accused of begging 
the question; no, in the interest of edu- 
cation, in the interest of a larger success 
which we earnestly beseech every reader 
of this book to attempt, we propose to 
show scientifically that such statements 
have no foundation of truth, and con- 
sequently should never be made. 

In doing this we must first find a start- 
ing point. The Physicist takes the elec- 
tron for the point of beginning. Manifest- 
ly, although it is almost infinitely small, 
the electron also contains something; 
somev/hat of something or another, but 
the Physicist does not concern himself 
with this; he delves no deeper into the 
subject, but begins with the electron, and 
with that as a basis, develops the truth of 
whatever hypotheses he may advocate. 

The Astronomer takes the law of grav- 



The Larger Success 191 

itation as he finds it, and he asks not for 
the original cause of the law; he does not 
attempt to go back of the law; he simply 
accepts it as he finds it, and proceeds to 
develop his theories with the assistance of 
his knowledge of that law. 

And so it goes with all scientists. They 
do not begin at the beginning, they find a 
convenient starting point from which to 
proceed. In like manner, if we would 
prove scientifically the contentions herein 
advocated by us, we too must find a 
starting place. 

The statement has been made that 
v/hether or not there is a supreme intel- 
ligence governing the universe, at any 
rate there should be. 

Indeed, this is true, for no other imag- 
inable hypothesis Vv^ould comport with 
our experience. In our daily life we learn 
some things that we finally consider as 
facts; for instance, that it is necessary to 
eat to live; that the Seasons come with 
regularity; that certain causes lead to cer- 



192 Memory and the Executive Mind 

tain effects. These conclusions are only 
facts, in so far as we have learned from 
our experience to consider them as facts. 

Now in the course of that experience we 
have learned that a machine constructed 
by human hands requires human intel- 
ligence to guide it, in order that it may be 
successfully operated. A man may ride 
a bicycle, but to get satisfactory results, 
intelligence is necessary. A sewing ma- 
chine may be operated, but intelligent 
human direction is required in the oper- 
ation. A locomotive engine, drawing 
behind it railroad carriages filled with 
human freight, requires at the throttle a 
guiding hand dominated by intelligence, 
if it is to be run properly, and if it would 
not crash into pieces, thereby sending to 
death the many precious lives behind it. 

Again, in some capacity or another we 
are all members of families, and we know 
that a family, to be governed properly, 
needs an intelligent head. 

A Nation, if she would run progressively 



The Larger Success 193 

and satisfactorily, must have intelligence 
at the head of her government. 

And so we might mention countless 
illustrations, all showing conclusively, so 
far as our experience goes, that no ma- 
chinery, human or otherwise, may be suc- 
cessfully managed unless there is behind 
it intelligence governing its movements. 

We emphasise the point, that these 
illustrations are within our daily experi- 
ence, and so far as we are able to know 
anything definitely, we know them to be 
true. 

Now consider, if you please, the uni- 
verse and its orderly government. Go 
out beneath the arched heavens at night, 
if you will, and view the magnificent 
celestial bodies, all be jeweling the heavens 
like balls of fire, and each attending to the 
particular part assigned it in the eternal 
plan of creation. 

Does not the Sun visit you, and warm 
you regularly? Does the Moon not move 
about in her course in exact accord with 



194 Memory and the Executive Mind 

her mistress, the Earth, assisting to what 
extent she may, his radiance, the Sun, in 
the proper government of those bodies 
embraced in the solar system? 

Does not the grass grow, and flowers 
bloom? Do 3^ou not sow wheat and reap 
wheat? Is not everything in the universe 
well governed, well attuned, and well har- 
monised? 

Now in the light of our experience could 
this orderly movement possibly go on 
without a governing intelligence? Could 
the whole creation move harmoniously 
without a guiding hand, when our expe- 
rience teaches us that even a little simple 
machine requires the direction of intelli- 
gence in its operation? 

Must we not admit beyond the per- 
adventure of a doubt that there is a 
supreme intelligence governing the uni- 
verse, and its many activities? 

Is it not scientifically proven, just as 
exactly as any scientific hypothesis may 
be proven, that there must be such an in- 
telligence? 



The Larger Success 195 

Does such a conclusion not conform 
absolutely with our experience? Yes? 
All right! Then we have established a 
point scientifically which we may assume 
to be proved as we proceed with the dis- 
cussion of the larger success. 

We have scientifically established our 
starting point! 

Let us go further. If 
e arger there is, and we have 
uccess. j^g^ proven there must 

be, a supreme intelligence governing the 
universe, we may go further, in terms of 
our experience, and suggest that love to- 
ward all humanity, far-reaching and eter- 
nal, is the greatest attribute we could 
imagine the Father of all to possess. And 
if this be true, may we not safely go still 
further and suggest that a larger life, much 
greater by far than we may have any con- 
ception of at this time, is beyond a doubt 
among our splendid possibilities? 

Therefore, if such a life may be among 
our eternal possibilities, still looking at the 
situation scientifically, in terms of our 



196 Memory and the Executive Mind 

experience, is it not probable, is it not 
incontestable to assume that the advan- 
tage must rest with those best fitted for 
such a life? 

Is it not plausible to assume that the 
best qualified individuals are to be pre- 
ferred in the larger success in the larger 
life, just as they are indeed preferred in 
the success peculiar to worldly existence? 

Dear reader, answer these questions 
fairly to yourself, and after you have done 
so, you must be forced to conclude that 
a life such as has just been suggested, 
must represent the ideal and the only 
ideal worth striving for! 

Now the beauty of striving for such an 
ideal is just this: If by any chance, an 
eternal existence should never develop 
for the individual, he would in any event 
by his constant striving for preparation 
for such an existence, be constantly fitting 
himseE better and better for the accom- 
plishment of eminent success in this world, 
and his time could not; therefore, be wasted. 



The Labger Success 197 

The ideal larger life, accordingly, would 
be a life so large that all narrowness, 
pettiness, and meanness would be left 
behind, and the larger success w^ould be 
such a preparation as would fit one to 
enjoy such a life. 

Now let us use our experience to guide 
us a little further. We know the quali- 
ties that make for success in this world. 
We know that they include broadminded- 
ness, and education, in the larger sense, 
and kindliness and sympathy, and in- 
deed all qualities that tend toward the 
development of healthy mentality. 

Now, if it is true that these qualities 
make for ordinary material success, is it 
not logical, even scientific, if you please, 
to assume that such qualities go to make 
up the larger success in the larger life? 
If they do, and we have set our ideal to be 
the larger success, then why in the name of 
conscience should every individual not 
labor to the best of his ability to cultivate 
those qualities? 



198 Memoby and the Executive Mind 

What good is a mind if it is never de- 
veloped? The man possessing a mind 
which he never develops is much in the 
same category as the man in the Bible, 
who took his talent of silver and hid it 
away in a napkin, refusing to give it the 
opportunity to grow. 

Cultivate your mind by all means, and 
fill it with the highest ideals! Practice 
all those qualities that have been enumer- 
ated, doing your best at all times to ap- 
proximate the larger success! 

WHETHER OR NOT SUCH CON- 
DUCT AVAILS YOU ANYTHING IN 
AN ETERNAL LIFE HEREAFTER, 
AT ANY RATE IT OUGHT TO! 

WHETHER THE CULTIVATION 
OF THE HUMANITIES AND THOSE 
QUALITIES WHICH GO TO MAKE 
UP THE IDEAL LARGER SUCCESS 
IN THE IDEAL LARGER LIFE — 
WHETHER OR NOT, WE SAY, THE 
CULTIVATION OF SUCH QUALITIES 
AVAILS YOU ANYTHING, AFTER 
YOUR BODY GOES BACK TO ITS 



The Larger Success 199 

DUST, AT ANY RATE IT OUGHT TO ! 
IT OUGHT TO, AND BY THE 

LESSONS OF OUR ENTIRE EX- 
PERIENCE THROUGHOUT THIS 
WORLD AND THROUGHOUT THIS 
LIFE, IT MUST! 

This is what we started out to prove, 
and we feel we have succeeded. 

Now, let us return for a final word con- 
cerning the two brothers with whom we 
started. The one, a brilliant success, 
and the other, a hopeless failure. 

What causes produced the success and 
failure respectively? We repeat, both 
boys were subjected to the same in- 
fluences, but the one refused to be per- 
suaded by blasphemous statements, to 
the effect that no life in the larger sense 
is possible, and that young man pro- 
ceeded with a contrary belief. He de- 
veloped himself to the best of his ability 
and trusted himself to that Divine in- 
telligence which his reason, God-given in 
itself, told him must exist. 

His brother, unfortunately, and there 



200 Memoky and the Executivb Mind 

are many thousands of others in the same 
predicament today, believed the seductive 
statements made by mortals, possibly 
well meaning, but nevertheless, of tre- 
mendously evil influence. 

Therefore, we say to you, and to every 
individual who may chance to read these 
lines; THAT MOMENT (IF EVER) 
WHEN YOU COME TO DOUBT THE 
EXISTENCE OF AN ALLWISE IN- 
TELLIGENCE, THE EXISTENCE 
OF AN ALLWISE UNIVERSAL FIRST 
CAUSE, THAT MOMENT, WE SAY, 
JNL^Y WELL BE MARKED AS THE 
BLACKEST AND MOST PERNIC- 
IOUS IN YOUR ENTIRE CAREER! 

Heed not the scoffers, they can lead 
you only astray. They have absolutely 
nothing convincing on their side. They 
have nothing to substantiate the false 
statements which they make, while on 
the other hand, what amounts to scien- 
tific accuracy, backed by the sum total 
of the experience of the human race, is 



The Larger Success 201 

on the side advocating the eternal life 
and the eternal success! 

And now, as we have pointed out be- 
fore, for emphasis, just this word in con- 
clusion: By assuming the existence of 
the ideal larger life and the ideal larger 
success, you can never go wrong, because 
in preparing for the ideal, you will have 
been constantly equipping yourself more 
thoroughly for a larger success in a larger 
life, even in your worldly career. 

Cultivate the humanities, therefore; 
don't let a single day go by without your 
having done something positively in this 
direction during the fleeting twenty-four 
hours. Mortal life is short at the best, 
and if we are going to accomplish an^^- 
thing worth while in the few years allotted 
us here, we must be everlastingly at it ! 

Don't fritter! Don't spend your time 
in dissipation, and all the immoral activ- 
ities which that term includes! 

Don't debauch the wonderful temple 
w^hich God has given your soul as a dwell- 



202 Memory and the Executive Mind 

ing place! Don^t be an ignoramus! 
Don't be a fool, but strive eternally for 
such qualification as will fit you for the 
larger success! 



CHAPTER II 

CONCLUDING THE DISCUSSION 

Keep Your After having discussed 
Lamp Bum- with you such methods 
ing: of cultivation as we 

know will bring suc- 
cess your way, it seems now to be partic- 
ularly fitting for us to suggest that you 
enlist yourself as a torch-bearer in the 
procession. 

Understanding so weU the vital neces- 
sity of mental and spiritual development 
yourself, it now becomes your bounden 
duty to do some missionary work in that 
particular direction. 

Let no man ever be able to trace his 
failure in life to your door. Refrain ab- 
solutely from making pessimistic state- 
ments in the presence of anybody, but 
especially in the presence of young men 
and young women. 



204 Memory and the Executive Mind 

Boys and girls are very easily influenced 
and as easily for bad as for good. There- 
fore, if it were possible for us to tear from 
our environment all of those influences 
that tend to drag down and to demoralise, 
we should immediately be on the dawn 
of an ideal existence. 

Set the best example you know how 
throughout your days on earth, and no 
matter what position others may take, 
make up your mind to be full of hope and 
faith whatever may befall you. 

You have a scope of influence. You 
have friends. You may both widen the 
scope of influence and increase your 
number of friends, if you will, and if you 
be not selfish, if you would let your light 
shine, if you would give to the world the 
benefit of the influence which a line of con- 
duct working toward the larger success 
can yield it, you will decide to widen your 
circle of friends and increase your in- 
fluence. 

There is no worldly asset that has quite 



The Lakger Success 205 

the same value as a friend, and it neces- 
sarily follows, therefore, that the wider 
you make your circle of friends the greater 
constantly become your assets. 

Therefore, in constantly seeking new 
friends you do not lose advantage, but 
on the contrary, you positively gain it so 
far as worldly success goes, and at the same 
time you may make yourself a splendid 
agency for good; for with every friend you 
have at least some influence, and if you 
are a strong character, you can increase 
your influence over each individual friend. 

You can, therefore, make yourself of 
incalculable benefit to the world^s positive 
progress by striving always to implant 
within the minds of your friends a desire 
to strive for the attainment of that same 
larger success which you yourself are en- 
deavoring to achieve. Nor would we 
have you be simply a negative quantity in 
any discussions that may arise. We con- 
sider that you have a positive duty to 
perform. You know that dishonesty is 



206 Memory and the Executive Mind 

wrong; therefore, if that negative influence 
should be upheld by any one at any time, 
it is your duty to speak up against it, and 
it will not sufiice to sit silently by believ- 
ing the opposite, yet saying nothing. 

You know it is wrong for any individual 
to permit his mind to deteriorate, and 
therefore, if education and culture are as- 
sailed in your presence, it is your duty to 
speak up in their defense. 

You have strong convictions bearing on 
right and wrong. You know some things 
that many less fortunate individuals do 
not know, and bear in mind always that 
knowledge carries with it its responsi- 
bilities. If you would serve the world, 
and at the same time serve yourself, 
therefore, in your endeavor to achieve the 
larger success, you must not permit your- 
self to be a dark lantern; don't carry your 
light under a bushel! Keep your lamp 
trimmed and burning, and always, re- 
gardless of your particular situation at a 
particular time, let your light shine! 



The Larger Success 207 

. In concluding this 

Conclusion : ^j^^p^^^ ^^^ ^j^^ ^^^^^ 

we beg to suggest that in a work of this 
kind, the discussion of many subjects that 
would fit in admirably must be omitted. 
Our purpose has been to make such sug- 
gestions as we felt would be immediately 
helpful and such as could be followed 
without inconveniencing any one. 

If the precepts laid down in PART ONE 
are properly followed, a good memory is 
assured, and if then PART TWO is 
read carefully and its teaching practiced, 
the Executive Mind may be attained; not 
by one, but by all. It is simply a matter 
of choice; it may be taken or let alone. 

And now, we wish to drive this point 
home: With a well developed memory 
and an executive mind in one's possession, 
the larger success in the larger life looms 
up, not only as a possibility, but as an 
actual live reality. 

Finally, in your reading of the discus- 
sion of the several subjects contained in 



208 Memory and the Executive Mind 

this volume, we trust sincerely that you 
may have been, at least to some degree, 
benefited. 

We wish to make it plain, however, 
that you may not hope to achieve the re- 
sults, for the attainment of which we have 
shown the way, by simply reading what 
is said herein. It is of the utmost im- 
portance that you practice in your daily 
life the suggestions made. It is not suf- 
ficient that you simply read the book. 
It is necessary, rather, that you live up 
to its teaching. 

The price of all success is earnest en- 
deavor, and if you would succeed, there- 
fore, in the fullest measure, you must be 
everlastingly vigilant. 



THE END 



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